


my heart took root in your hands (and i'm home)

by EzzyDean



Category: Free!, Haikyuu!!
Genre: Family Feels, Found Family, Gen, Lots of side pairings, M/M, lots of characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-23
Updated: 2018-02-23
Packaged: 2019-03-22 21:23:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 26,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13772844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EzzyDean/pseuds/EzzyDean
Summary: When Ryuu took off after high school he never expected to find so much more than himself in the journey.  Or for it to take him nearly seven years to come back home only to find that he wasn't the only thing that had changed.(aka that TanaHaru crossover fic no one asked me to write but I did anyway)





	1. Nanase Squared

If there was one thing that Ryuu knew, it was that backing out of this event would be a fate worse than death. Mostly because his sister would be pissed off at him and probably come up with some really creative ways to torture him before she finally left him for dead in a ditch somewhere. It was almost a fate worth considering. Especially since seeing this through to the end would require him to meet back up with people he hadn’t seen in years. Friends that he wasn’t even sure were really his friends. After all who stays friends when you don’t talk for over four years?

He glanced at the empty desk chair on the other side of the small office and let out a huge sigh. It was a little too late to back out now anyway. The large leafed plant on the windowsill didn’t respond to his woeful sighs so he shoved the last binder into his messenger bag and left.

It was dumb to be nervous about meeting back up with his friends. It was Suga and Noya today. Two people who knew him almost as well as his sister did. Two people he’d always been able to count on. Yet with each step closer to the diner they were meeting at his stomach grew heavier and his hands clammier. He felt ridiculous. He should be saving this nervousness for the meetings he had the next couple days not for catching up with old friends.

He paused outside the diner to take a deep breath and stumbled forward when a heavy weight hit his back. A half second later Noya’s familiar laughter rang through the air and warm arms wrapped around his chest.

“Ryuu!”

Noya had always had a way of yanking at the nervous knots in his gut and unraveling them with one tug, even when he didn’t know they were there. He twisted around so he could hug his once upon a time best friend properly. Noya fit against him the way he always had and something deep inside Ryuu finally settled for the first time since he stepped off the plane two weeks ago.

“Noya,” he laughed. “What would you have done if it wouldn’t have been me?”

Ryuu could feel Noya’s nose scrunching up against his chest as Noya cackled and shook his head.

“Impossible. I watched your back for three years. I know what it looks like.” Ryuu tightened his arms around Noya’s shoulders. “I’d never forget your back, Ryuu.”

He really didn’t deserve a friend like Noya.

Before he could do something ridiculous, like say that out loud and risk Noya’s wrath, Noya pulled away and grabbed his wrist. He let Noya drag him into the diner and for a moment he was seventeen again and they were on top of the world. Noya was already chattering away about things Ryuu had missed since he’d been gone and Ryuu was so glad that of all the things in his life that had changed since high school Noya was not and would hopefully never be one of them.

Ryuu hugged him from behind when Noya paused and glanced around the diner, overwhelmed by a sudden rush of gratitude and love for his friend. Noya understood the way Noya always managed to and simply leaned back against Ryuu while he searched the diner. He waved across the diner but didn’t move away from Ryuu until Ryuu let him go and nudged him away.

“Just give me a second and I’ll be over.”

Noya tilted his head back and studied Ryuu for a moment. Then he nodded once and took off across the diner. Ryuu glanced over at the table and nodded when Suga and Asahi waved at him. Then he pulled his phone from his bag.

>> I’m like first date with a hot nurse level of nervous about meeting up with my friends. I can’t do this.

<< should I meet you there instead of the station

>> If you don’t mind the walk I’d like that.

Ryuu watched the message blink over to ‘seen’ and when there was no immediate response he shoved his phone back in his bag and wandered over to his friends. It felt so weird to call them his friends when he felt like barely recognized them at first glance. But there was too much history between all of them to call them anything else really.

Suga hopped to his feet and pulled Ryuu into a bone-crushing hug that felt like home. When he finally let Ryuu go Asahi was there with his own warm hug. Thankfully less crushing but no less familiar.

When they were all finally seated again they made small talk until a waiter came to take their order. It wasn’t the excruciatingly uncomfortable or awkward situation Ryuu had worried it would be. But he was far enough out of the loop of current events that he mostly just listened to the other three talk. He was absently turning the ring on his right hand with his thumb when Suga grinned and propped his chin in his hands.

“So, Ryuu.” Suga blinked innocently at Ryuu.

“So, Suga,” he replied.

“You’ve been out of the country what, seven years? I haven’t heard from you in like four? What have you been up to? When Chikara and Yamamoto came back all they would tell us is you weren’t ready to leave yet.”

Ryuu huffed a laugh. That felt like such an understatement.

“I wasn’t. Coming back meant university right away or settling down or something big like that. Responsibilities and people expecting shit from me. Staying meant at least a few more months where I could do whatever I wanted and still write it off as soul searching or whatever.” He scratched the back of his head and shrugged. “So I stayed. Worked odd jobs. Delivery stuff. I helped Chika with some photography stuff here and there. And a year turned into two and three and, well, yeah.”

Suga snorted. “Eloquent as always.”

“Shut up,” Ryuu grumbled.

“So you’re back for the tournament, right?” Asahi asked. “And your sister’s baby I’m guessing?”

Ryuu nodded.

Noya perked up at that. “Oh she said something about you helping with the baby shower? Something about you being a professional and all that? What’s that all about?” Noya propped his elbows on the table and leaned towards Ryuu with a grin.

He couldn’t help the blush that colored his face at the looks his friends gave him. He wasn’t embarrassed by his job by any means but it felt so odd to be telling the people who knew him as a rambunctious teen who ripped his shirt off at volleyball games about how he was one half of a fairly successful party planning team with business cards and portfolio binders.

“My partner, Haru, mostly deals with any food needs and decorations and invites and I do most of the rest of it. From distracting toddlers from cake mishaps to dealing with the ever frightening Bridezillas and handling everyone’s favorite aspects of business like bills and suppliers.”

Ryuu was glad the waiter arrived just then with their food because the surprised looks from his friends were starting to make him itch with the need to move or info dump or something. A few bites in and he decided that he’d have to bring Haru by here sometime for a meal. That was one bonus he hadn’t thought about before in regards to coming back: hopefully back here they could find someplace that made mackerel remotely close to Haru’s standards and Ryuu wouldn’t have to listen to rants about the subpar fish selections in the US. Haru could focus on something else. Like the way Ryuu left his socks on the floor everywhere or how annoying their neighbors were.

“My little Ryuu,” Suga cooed around a mouthful of food. “All grown up with a grown up job and looking all professional.” Asahi snorted into his salad and Ryuu pouted at his only remotely apologetic look. “It seems like just yesterday you were ripping your shirts off and flinging them around like wild.”

“Don’t let him fool you. Yesterday he was still flinging his shirt around. He nearly knocked my laptop off my desk and almost killed my plant.”

“Haru!” Ryuu twisted around to grin at Haru. “You got here sooner than I thought.”

Haru shrugged. “Wasn’t much I could do in the office today.” His eyes flickered with amusement. “Someone was too nervous to leave me in peace even after I finally made it there.”

“Was not,” Ryuu muttered petulantly. The others laughed and Ryuu pouted at them all. “Whatever. Guys this is my partner Haru. Haru these are some of the guys I used to play volleyball with.”

“Nanase Haruka,” Haru said quietly after the others introduced themselves. “Nice to meet you all.”

Haru sat when Ryuu waved at the seat next to him and started picked picking bites off Ryuu’s plate. Ryuu nodded towards the mackerel and Haru tilted his head in contemplation. After a couple more bites he nodded in approval. After that Ryuu started sharing stories about some of the parties they had done in the last couple years.

He was in the middle of the story about the lady who insisted they remake all four cakes that she had requested because she had suddenly got it into her head that only certain colors and shapes of cakes were appropriate for boys - and round cakes with orange frosting was suddenly no longer one of them despite the fact that she had specifically asked for that shape and color three days beforehand - when a voice called out from a few feet away.

“Nanase?”

Ryuu and Haru both twisted in their seats and said, “Yeah?”

It took half a second for Ryuu to realize his mistake. The man who had called out - their waiter - raised his eyebrows slightly as he looked from Haru to Ryuu and back. Noya made a half strangled noise of excitement and realization. Ryuu slowly turned back to face his friends.

“Sousuke,” he heard Haru say as he buried his face in his hands.

“Haru,” their waiter replied. “What did you do and no I am not telling Rin for you.”

“I came back,” Haru said. He curled his fingers into the space just above Ryuu’s elbow. “And Rin doesn’t scare me in the slightest.”

Sousuke scoffed but he wandered away when it became clear Haru was done talking to him for the time being.

“So. ‘Partner’ huh?” Suga’s gleeful look had never made Ryuu more uncomfortable in his life. “I guess congratulations are in order?”

He peeked at Haru’s small smile through his fingers and then looked down to see the dark band on Haru’s finger, a perfect match for the one on his own hand. They had exchanged rings the day that Ryuu had legally changed his family name to Nanase just over two years ago. They weren’t technically married in any official sense but they were devoted to each other, fully committed in a way that felt deeper than anything a piece of paper or two could ever provide them.

“Thanks,” Ryuu said, smile breaking out on his face when Haru squeezed his arm and tapped his thumb against Ryuu’s elbow.

“You will definitely be telling us more about this later when we all get together,” Noya declared. “But for now congrats and thank you for securing my victory in that particular bet.”

“What bet?”

“The bet about which of us from our class would be in a serious relationship first.”

“Aww you bet on me?”

“Course I did!”

Haru leaned against Ryuu’s side as the conversation slid away from them and to the topic of Noya’s most recent string of absolutely horrible dates. A topic which had Ryuu in tears in a matter of minutes and Asahi sharing how he was pretty sure he almost got arrested because Noya’s night had gone so bad he called Asahi to pick him up and Noya’s date got mad and started wrecking the bar they were at and when the police showed up they, of course, thought Asahi had started it.

“And then the officer turned to me and asked if I had anything to say about it all and I froze and I am sadly not joking. I threw up on him.”

“Seriously?”

“I was home in the first place because I had the flu,” Asahi protested. “I was lucky I didn’t throw up in my shoes when I went to leave to get Noya.”

“Nope,” Noya said cheerfully. “You saved it all for the officer.”

“That sounds like something that would have happened to Rei,” Haru said softly, voice hidden under the laughter at the table.

Ryuu tilted his head and bumped Haru’s forehead.

“We’ll see them soon,” he promised. “Saeko won’t keep us too long today.”

Haru made a content noise as Ryuu pulled out his phone to check and see how much time they had before they were supposed to be at Saeko’s. He heard a giddy sounding giggle come from behind them and Haru sucked in a quick breath. Before he could react Asahi let out a pained sound and he looked up to see someone sprawled in Asahi’s lap.

“So we meet again,” the stranger said.

“Hello Nagisa,” Asahi said in a rather resigned voice. “Have you resorted to stalking me or is this magically a coincidence?”

“It is a coincidence actually. Because we are actually here to see,” Nagisa dragged the word out with a grin, “Haru-chan!”

Ryuu blinked and glanced at Haru.

“Haru-chan?” Asahi looked bewildered.

“We?” Haru asked cautiously.

“Yep.” Nagisa nodded eagerly. “Mako-chan and I stopped in especially to see you in person!”

Haru narrowed his eyes and twisted to glare over his shoulder. Ryuu glanced back and saw Sousuke at the counter with a smug look on his face.

“Hey,” Sousuke called over. “I said I wasn’t gonna tell Rin. Makoto however? Is fair game.”

The bell over the door jingled and Haru tensed when he saw who was coming in.

“Nagisa I asked you to wait for me,” the man in the doorway scolded.

Ryuu watched in what felt like slow motion as two things vied for his attention: the look on Haru’s face as he pushed out of his seat and hurried over to the man in the doorway and the look on Suga’s face when he spotted said man in the doorway. Haru was excited, not that it showed for most people to see. But his eyes glittered and there was a small secretive looking smile on his face, like the world had just unfolded to give him all its secrets. Suga, on the other hand, looked like he had just been offered the world on a platter.

“Somebody’s in love,” Nagisa singsonged. Ryuu felt his face flash with heat until he glanced up and saw that Nagisa wasn’t looking at him but at Suga. And then at the man in the doorway, Makoto he assumed. He followed along and couldn’t keep the grin off his face. Makoto had his attention on Haru as they talked quietly but kept glancing up from him and over to their table. Over to Suga, specifically, and Suga kept looking back at him, tiny blush on his cheeks.

Eventually Haru made his way back with Makoto in tow and dropped back into his seat next to Ryuu. There was a particular light in his eyes and an ease in his movements that Ryuu hadn’t seen much since they got together. Though he was sure something similar had happened the moment Noya had latched onto him an hour ago.

“So is this your ‘someone steady’ you told me about Haru?” Haru huffed softly at Makoto, blush staining his cheeks, and nodded.

“Oh. They’re more than just something steady,” Noya teased. “Isn’t that right Nanase Ryuunosuke?”

Makoto looked down at them both in surprise, but before either of them could say a word Ryuu’s phone started ringing and he happily answered the call from his sister.


	2. You and Me and Baby Makes... Four?

Ryuu sprawled on his sister’s couch with a groan.

“You knew it was going to be awkward Ryuu,” she said as she eased down into the spot at the end. “You also know that at least half of the rest of them know by now, right?”

Haru perched on the arm of the couch above Ryuu’s head and he flung his arm up onto Haru’s lap. Haru patted it soothingly a few times but batted it away when Ryuu tried to tug him down onto the couch.

“Yes and yes. But it wasn’t supposed to be that awkward. That is not exactly how I planned on revealing my name change to them.”

“Well it’s not exactly like you sent out cutesy little cards announcing what you did. What did you expect?” Saeko rubbed her stomach softly, eyes bright with amusement as she watched him trying to pull Haru onto the couch and Haru gently but stubbornly refusing. “Suck it up and just deal with the inevitable inquisition you’ll be forced to suffer through. Also I’ll use my ‘I told you so’ now. In which case I mean I told you that you should have at least told Noya and you’re going to have to give him so much loving and attention to get him to forgive you.”

Haru forced Ryuu to sit up before he slid down onto the couch and then refused to let Ryuu put his head in his lap. Even when Ryuu pouted and blinked imploringly at him. Haru just shook his head. The heartless jerk.

“You are not shoving your feet in your pregnant sister’s lap,” Haru said. “If you’re going to be a disaster and take up the whole couch at least be halfway courteous and use her lap as a pillow for your head.”

Ryuu grumbled but he spun around and carefully dropped his head in his sister’s lap. He reached up slowly and pressed his hand against her stomach. Part of him still insisted that there was no way his sister was pregnant, was in fact well into her third trimester. It was the same part of him that sometimes still tried to write Tanaka on forms and was amazed at the ring on his finger and got the urge to buzz his short hair short again. Saeko rubbed her hand against his skull like she knew what he was thinking and for a moment he could pretend he was thirteen and finding comfort from the overwhelming world they were being shoved into with nothing more than her grounding touch and the familiar warmth of her by his side.

“Was it a bad choice?” Saeko’s hand stilled on his head. “Not telling them? I mean it was a big deal technically but at the same time for us it was just, I dunno.”

“The obvious move,” Haru supplied. His hand was warm against Ryuu’s ankle as he rubbed his thumb soothingly against the skin. “Natural progression?”

“Technically it was no one’s business or choice but your own,” Saeko said. “So long as it was what you wanted, of course.”

Ryuu rolled over enough to meet Haru’s eyes. Haru raised his brows and lightly pinched Ryuu’s ankle.

“Of course it was,” Ryuu said. He was sure he had a sickeningly sweet smile on his face judging by the gagging noise Saeko was making. But it was fine. Because Haru was giving him the same smile in return. “It’s been worth it every minute since I met him.”

“That’s disgustingly sappy little bro.”

“Thanks. I try.”

—

Haru pulled the messenger bag off his shoulder and dropped it onto the kitchen counter with a bland look on his face. Mostly because he knew how much it irritated Kou when he kept an expressionless face when they talked. And since it was the first time they talked face to face and not through a computer screen or phone in about three and a half years he couldn’t think of a better way to show his appreciation for her friendship.

“So?”

Luckily for their friendship it didn’t faze her at all. That was a nice thing about Kou even after all these years. The girl was pretty unflappable. She was just plain pretty too, but that had never really been Haru’s type. Despite the six months they kind of maybe dated back in high school.

Kou slipped into the tiny space between the counter and him and looked up at him through her bangs.

“Haru. Talk to me. How was it? Was it as traumatic as you thought?”

“Well, just like every nightmare I’ve ever had, Sousuke was there.” Haru sniffled delicately at Kou’s tiny snort of amusement. He recounted the story and by the time he got to Makoto walking in the door she was barely stifling her giggles. When he told her about Ryuu’s eager acceptance of his sister’s phone call it was over the sound of her laughter. By the time he finished with, “So yeah. It was pretty much the disaster I thought it would be,” she had tears in her eyes and he couldn’t keep the smile off his face at her obvious amusement.

“And Ryuu is where exactly?”

“I left him at his sister’s. They have a lot of mushy hugging to do. He hasn’t seen her in person since the day he left.”

Kou rolled her eyes at him and reached up to pull him into a hug of her own.

“I’m glad you’re back, Haru.” Kou’s breath was warm against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and sank forward, pinning her lightly against the counter with a sigh.

Haru buried his nose in her hair and asked softly, “Give you a truth?”

“Go for it.”

“I’m scared.” Kou hugged him tighter and waited for the rest of it. It was an understanding between the two of them, something born from Haru’s quiet nature and Kou’s highly protective brother. They could always ask for a truth from the other person but the other was never obligated to answer. They could always give a truth to the other to keep but the other wasn’t obligated to hear it at that time. There had been times that Kou had a truth and Haru hadn’t been in a mindspace to hear it. There were times Haru asked her for a truth and she just couldn’t give one and vice versa.

They just worked that way.

“I’m scared,” Haru whispered against her hair again. “We’re back and everyone is still here and what am I supposed to do? I left for so long. What if they’re mad at me?” Kou nodded against his chest. “What if I broke us enough we can never be friends again?”

“Oh Haru.” Kou knew the reason now. The reason why Haru left Ryuu at his sister’s. The reason Haru wanted to meet with her alone first. “We’ll be friends forever and then some and I’ll give you all the mushy hugging you want right now. Because yes you left. But you kept in touch. Even if you weren’t here in person we knew you were thinking about us.”

And she knew exactly what he needed to deal with it all. The kind of bizarre anchor he needed in the middle of this sudden change in his life.

This time it was Haru’s turn to snort in amusement.

“Thanks.”

Kou hummed something in response and nuzzled even closer. Haru propped his cheek on her head. After a minute she started giggling again.

“What?” He finally had to ask.

“It’s just funny you know?” She said into his chest. “Mister ‘I want to be free’ is the first one of us tied down.”

“Ryuu doesn’t tie me down,” Haru said. “He gives me wings.”

“That is the sappiest thing I’ve ever heard you say.”

“Thank you.”

She didn’t let go of him and somewhere it turned from her comforting him to him comforting her. He wasn’t sure when the shift happened. Just that before he realized it she was clinging to him.

“Give me a truth?” He prompted when he realized she needed that bit of courage.

“I’m pregnant,” she muttered against his chest.

“Oh.” It wasn’t the most surprising thing to hear from her. She was an adult after all. Adults had sex. That was how babies happened. Sure babies before marriages were still frowned upon a bit but it wasn’t the end of the world. “Congratul-”

“I don’t know who the father is.”

“Oh. That’s. Um. Who are your choices?”

Kou gave a watery snort and rubbed her nose against his chest.

“Choices. That sounds so clinical. Like I flipped through a book and picked them out.”

“Did you?” Kou jerked back from him with a glare and he wiggled his eyebrows at her. “So serious and precise sounding. Is Rei rubbing off on you?” A startling thought passed his mind and he shook his head. “Wait no that sounded so wrong.”

Kou started laughing. “You’ve spent way too much time with Ryuu and no one else. You’re sounding way too much like him.”

“It’s not a horrible thing. Ryuu’s a good person.”

“He is. It just sounds a little strange hearing the kind of stuff I usually hear from him coming out of your mouth.” Kou sighed and pulled away enough to play with the hem of Haru’s t-shirt. “Though I suppose not as a strange as me telling you that I’m not sure who the father is because I’ve been seeing both Seijuurou and Rei. And yes we all know about it and are okay with it.”

“You’re marrying Rei.”

“Yes.”

“And seeing Mikoshiba?”

“Kind of? It’s hard to explain?”

“But you’re all okay with it? No one is keeping secrets of getting hurt?”

“We’re all okay. We’ve talked about it. Seijuurou isn’t looking to get married or have a great romance. He just wants in on cuddles.”

Haru snorted and shook his head. “Not just the cuddles apparently.” He gently poked Kou’s stomach. “Cuddles don’t get you pregnant Miss Matsuoka.” He put his hand flat on her stomach and tilted his head. “Have you told anyone else?”

Kou shook her head. “I haven’t even told Rin that the three of us are a thing. I can’t even imagine trying to explain being pregnant on top of that. And I just got the confirmation from the doctor this morning so I haven’t told the others yet.” She bit her lip. “Truth?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m scared.”

Haru pulled her back into a tight hug. “I’ve got your back.”

They didn’t move apart, even when the door opened and voices filtered into the kitchen. Rei’s familiar laughter reached them first and Haru could picture him clutching his stomach and waving his hand in front of his face. The laughter died off slowly and someone tsked at them.

“I think someone who isn’t me is trying to steal your future wife from you Rei,” Mikoshiba said.

“Yep,” Kou laughed. “Haru came all the way back here just to sweep me off my feet and kidnap me from you.”

Haru nodded. Then he loosened his grip on Kou’s waist only to twist and scoop her into his arms, bridal style, and march out of the kitchen. Kou shrieked with laughter and flung her arms around Haru’s neck again, drowning out whatever spluttering response Rei had and even drowning out Mikoshiba’s boisterous laughter. Which was impressive considering how loud he knew Mikoshiba’s laughter to be.

“You’ll never pry her from me,” Haru called over his shoulder. “She’s mine forever.”

“Well. Can’t argue with that logic,” Mikoshiba called back. “Maybe you can fit into Rei’s wedding outfit so we don’t have to return it. You know we only get like half credit back if we have to return it? Even if it’s never been worn? How ridiculous is that?”

Rei followed them out of the kitchen to the bedroom where he watched from the doorway as Haru gently dropped Kou onto the bed with a fond smile on his face.

“Welcome home Haruka.”

“Thank you Rei.”

Haru turned from bed and walked into Rei’s outstretched arms, returning his hug happily.


	3. Real Life Needs a Recap

Ryuu stretched out on the bed and watched Haru pace the length of their bedroom. He knew Haru was itching for more. To go out on a run or to take off for the nearest swimming pool or lake. But he knew Haru wouldn’t go for it. For one thing it was nearly one in the morning. For another they had a deal: Haru would never take off for random bodies of water at odd times and Ryuu would never try to pull Haru out of a body of water except for emergencies or prearranged appointments or dates. But Haru needed to get the energy out and the easiest way right now was just to let him pace without comment until he settled his mind enough to go to bed.

Which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, no matter how much he wanted to comfort Haru. Ryuu truly enjoyed watching Haru move. Whether it was swimming, cutting paths through the water with precision and ease, or jogging, face flushed and eyes distant as he sorted through thoughts, or cooking, eyes bright and eager while he whipped up their next meal. Or watching him glare an invitation layout into submission. Or watering the plants on the windowsill. A dozen, a hundred, an infinite number of other things were just as fascinating to watch. Honestly Ryuu wasn’t sure he’d ever tire of watching Haru.

Haru eventually stopped pacing and collapsed across the edge of the bed with a quiet oomph.

“So the summary of our first month back,” Ryuu prodded after a few minutes.

Haru smiled that tiny smile of his that was reserved just for moments where he indulged Ryuu.

“Bought a house,” Haru said.

“Redecorated and converted the spare bedroom into an office.”

“Redesigned our website and marketed Nanase Effect to the area.”

“Contemplated breaking a dozen building codes to install a pool.”

“Decided the fines are almost worth it.” Ryuu snorted and Haru rolled his eyes at him. “But got membership at a 24 hour gym for now instead.”

“Got most of our stuff unpacked or replaced and were here three weeks before we finally decided to let our friends know we were back.”

“And in the span of seven hours discovered that some of our friends already know each other, they don’t in fact hate us for drifting so far away, and we started planning your sister’s baby shower, one of my best friend’s weddings, and discovered that said best friend is pregnant.”

Ryuu rolled towards Haru and pulled him to his chest.

“I feel like we should take a well deserved break and sleep until at least eleven tomorrow. Maybe even noon.”

Haru snorted. “When was the last time you even slept later than eight?”

“The morning after my name change was official. We were in bed until nearly noon.”

Haru elbowed him in the stomach and rolled over him to get up to the head of the bed so he could wriggle under the covers.

“I said ‘slept’ later than eight. Not lounged around blatantly ignoring your phone alarm so you could stare creepily at me while I tried to sleep longer.”

Ryuu gasped and pressed his hand to his chest. Haru simply rolled his eyes and snuggled under the covers. Ryuu continued to gasp dramatically until Haru had enough and threw a pillow at his face. It was only then, when he saw the sparkle in Haru’s eyes and the relaxed set of his smile that Ryuu gave in and crawled up the bed to join him. He couldn’t let the best thing to happen to him go to bed distressed and upset after all and if the easiest way to relax Haru was to make a fool out of himself then Ryuu would gladly do so in an instant.

—

Sunlight filtered through the front windows of the small shop, lighting up little bits of dust floating in the air and draping warm lines of golden silk across Haru’s skin. Ryuu wanted to trace those lines with his fingers and watch the way Haru smiled at him indulgently as they twined their fingers together.

But he couldn’t.

Because he was holding four bags of groceries and a bag of new cooking utensils while Haru searched through the little shop’s many many displays of spices and herbs and seasonings. This is what he got for agreeing to go shopping with Haru. He should have known better. He wasn’t surprised at all, really. What was surprising was that Haru had let them live largely on take out, leftovers from Saeko, and random food booths and diners scattered not far from their house for almost a month. It was one of the few outward signs that Haru had actually been as stressed about this whole move as Ryuu had. But now that he had been reassured of his place among his friends he was happily filling the kitchen again.

“I should have known you only wanted me for my muscles,” Ryuu pouted.

Haru didn’t even look away from the shelf he was inspecting but he still managed to pat Ryuu on the cheek condescendingly and make a disturbing cooing noise at him.

“You caught me. I’m only into you cause you carry things for me like the big strong man you are. Not cause I actually like you or anything.”

“Better not let my old teammates hear you say that. Pretty sure half of them already think I had to brainwash you or blackmail you or something.” Ryuu huffed to himself, voice dropping into a mutter. “I mean it’s understandable. Not like I’m that great a catch or anyth-”

His words died with Haru’s palm against his mouth.

Haru’s eyes were wide and serious as he searched Ryuu’s face. Looking for what exactly Ryuu didn’t know. But he found something. Because he slid his hand from Ryuu’s mouth to his neck with a soft sigh. Haru’s hand was warm and familiar, thumb caressing Ryuu’s jaw. Sometimes, until they were standing face to face like this with Haru gazing into his eyes, Ryuu forgot that they were pretty much the same height. It meant he couldn’t duck under Haru’s gaze or tilt his chin up to avoid it. They were level. Equal.

“You,” Haru said, voice soft and serious as he stared into Ryuu’s eyes. “Nanase Ryuunosuke. Are one of the best things to come into my life. Sure there are other fish in the sea. But I chose you.”

“And we all know how picky Nanase Haruka is about his fish,” Ryuu finished for him.

“Exactly.” Haru stared at him for a moment longer. “Are we okay? Do I need to send my bodyguard after your friends to beat some sense into them?”

Ryuu snorted. “No I wouldn’t send a pregnant woman to beat someone up. Kou can stay home today.”

That Kou was Haru’s bodyguard was something he learned not long after he and Haru had started talking about settling into something more than just casual dating. One night Haru had invited Ryuu over, sat him down in front of Haru’s open laptop and walked out of the room. Kou had greeted him, asked a few questions, and then proceeded to inform him that should he ever hurt Haru it wouldn’t be any of the numerous big muscular guys that Haru was friends with coming for him. It would be Kou. With a rusty shovel. And an ice pick.

Growing up with someone like Saeko as a sister he was properly scared shitless by that declaration and agreed that it was in his best interests to never get on Kou’s bad side. Even after knowing her for a few years he was still a bit nervous about the fact that within the next few weeks Saeko and Kou were going to be meeting and there was a strong possibility that the world would crumble at the sudden shift of power that would come with that meeting.

Hopefully it wouldn’t be that bad. But you never knew for sure.

Haru dropped his hand from Ryuu’s neck finally only to grab his hand and lace their fingers together. Somehow they managed to stay like that for the rest of their shopping and the entire trip home. Ryuu’s palm was sweaty by the time they got back to their house - and that was another thing that just tripped him up sometimes: they owned a house together here like real adults or something - but even when they got to the kitchen and unloaded their bags onto the counter he didn’t want to let go.

So he pulled Haru close and peppered his face with little kisses until Haru squirmed out of his grip. Haru didn’t go far though. He just reached into one of the bags and pulled something out. Ryuu had to react fast when Haru threw the package at his face and he barely caught it before it hit him. He stared down at the package of melonpan in surprise; he hadn’t even seen Haru pick it up at all.

“It’s not homemade so it’s not going to be the greatest.” Ryuu pulled Haru into a hug with a muffled noise of thanks and Haru, who had seemed nearly untouchable all those years ago in that bar, let him without fuss. “Now that we’re back I’ll take you over to the Tachibana’s house one day. Then you’ll get some real, homemade, delicious melonpan.”

“You may have chose me,” Ryuu said. “But I don’t deserve you.”

“Yeah well. I don’t deserve you either. So we’re even.”


	4. Past: The Mysterious No

The bar wasn’t packed but it was busy. Tora and Chika managed to snag a table and Ryuu bravely headed to the bar for drinks. He scanned the room as he waited, eyes flickering along the booths and tables with mild interest. There were a lot of people here watching some game apparently. Seven months in the US and he still wasn’t all that into the sports here. He caught the eyes of a man in one of the booths across the room and they shared a mutual eyeroll of commiseration as the majority of the bar started cheering at the TVs.

The man dropped his gaze back to the bottle in his hands and Ryuu’s attention was drawn back to his order being set in front of him. He managed to get back to the table without spilling a drop. But he knew the moment that he slid into his seat that the reason Tora and Chika were giving him such victorious looks wasn’t because of the drinks.

“Caught you,” they singsonged in unison. Which was a little creepy to Ryuu. They had gotten along much better on this whole trip than he had expected them to when they first set out. ‘Let’s take a little time before university’ had turned into a multi-country, multi-continent nearly two year long journey that they just weren’t quite ready to end yet. Or at least he wasn’t. He knew that Tora and Chika were ready to head back, ready to see their families and return to their regularly scheduled lives.

But he just didn’t quite want to yet.

“Caught me what?” He took a casual sip of his drink, pretending he couldn’t see the gleeful shine to their smiles.

“You were making gooey ‘love me’ eyes at that guy in the corner,” Tora said matter of factly.

“But it’s okay he keeps staring back at you too,” Chika added.

Ryuu didn’t quite manage to not choke on his drink. But he did manage to not whip his head to the side to look at the guy so he counted it as a win.

“I wasn’t really looking at him. We shared a glance of mutual despair at all the cheering in this place.”

“He’s attractive I’ll give you that.” Ryuu looked up to see Chika staring at the guy. He punched Chika’s shoulder but Chika didn’t look away. “Shiny black hair. Nice enough face. And what are his eyes? Green?”

“Blue,” Ryuu answered. Then a half second later. “Shit.”

Tora’s grin increased ten-fold while Chikara’s smile turned smug.

“Yep. Not looking at all,” Chika said.

He took his friends’ ribbing the way he always did: with rolled eyes and stupid laughs and indulgent smiles. The drinks helped too.

They drank as they reminisced on the last almost two years. On the sights seen. The people flirted with. The adventures taken. The moments shared. They were winding down. Or winding up? Ryuu wasn’t sure at this point exactly what they were doing. Just that it was coming to an end soon and he wasn’t ready for it.

He knew he wasn’t drunk, but he had enough that everything was even more hilarious than usual and every idea that Tora babbled out to him sounded like the best thing ever. Chika was no help. Expanding on Tora’s ideas and tempting Ryuu even further.

“You’re the worst kind of friend,” Ryuu muttered as he stared down at the shot sitting in front of him.

“Oh yeah? What kind is that?”

“You, sir, are an enabler.”

Chika just smiled that smug smile of his and picked up his own shot.

This is what Ryuu was going to miss the most. This laughter. These carefree nights. This freedom.

He wasn’t sure how much longer he would have any of this. But he was going to embrace every moment he did have.

“Go talk to him.” Ryuu downed his shot and then stared at Tora in question. “Go,” Tora repeated. “You two have been sneaking glances the whole time we’ve been here. I dare ya.”

“I double dare you.” Of course Chika had to up the ante.

The guy’s eyes were on him by the time he was halfway to the table. He stared up at Ryuu with an unimpressed look on his face as he rolled the empty bottle in his hands back and forth across the table top. Ryuu cleared his throat, cursing at himself for not thinking to grab him another bottle or something, and smiled.

“Hey I’m Ryuu.” The man blinked at him slowly and tilted his head ever so slightly to the side. “And you are?”

“No.”

Ryuu raised his brows. He couldn’t hear Tora and Chika across the room but he didn’t need to. He knew the sound of their ridiculous laughter by heart. He knew how long they’d tease him if he came back too quickly.

“’No’ is it?” The man nodded. Ryuu hummed and nodded his head. “Is that like a family name or something?”

The man’s lips twitched once then shrugged.

“Nickname,” he said.

Ryuu laughed. He wasn’t stupid. He could sense a ‘back the hell off’ when it happened. But this felt similar to high school. To Kiyoko gently brushing him off. It felt like a test. A game of sorts.

“Okay then, No. If your friends or whoever you’re waiting for don’t show up come join us.”

The guy hummed and tilted his head even further. Ryuu winked at him.

Then he left him at the table. He could feel those bright blue eyes on him as he made his way back to his friends. And their curious gazes and teasing laughter. It took nearly a half hour before they finally stopped teasing him. By that time the guy’s friends had arrived and Ryuu just hoped that he’d see him again.

—

A week later the three of them were back at the same table. Ryuu’s heart had actually sunk a little when they got to the bar and there were already two girls at the table with No. But as the bar got busier over the next half hour both left. One slipped behind the bar to start taking orders and the other headed to what must have been a storeroom and came back with a crate of bottles. And after a few more minutes Ryuu was catching the eye of the blue eyed man across the room once again.

He had thought about him a lot since they were last here. Not obsessive levels of thought. But minor curiosities. Fleeting thoughts here and there. Wondering about if he liked sweet or sour foods while Ryuu was cooking breakfast. What kind of movies he preferred while Ryuu flipped through Netflix. Did he like to go for runs in nice weather? Hide under blankets when it rained? Did he go to the pool in the summer or stay inside with the air conditioning?

Okay so maybe Ryuu had thought about him a bit more than ‘fleetingly’ so sue him.

That didn’t mean he was going to rush over and start flirting shamelessly with the guy. But it did mean that when it looked like his drink was getting low at the same time Ryuu was heading up for a round for his own table, he definitely sweet talked the bartender who had been sitting with the mysterious No into letting him buy a bottle of whatever he was drinking.

“Should I give him a message for you?”

“Just tell him that the offer from last week still stands.” Ryuu winked at the guy as he headed back to his own table and then deliberately refused to look over while the drink was delivered. Tora distracted him happily with a story about how the old man whose tiny garden he had been helping tend had tipped him over three dollars in pennies and nickels and Tora had been trying to use them up for nearly a week now.

Before he even realized his drink was empty the same bartender he had talked to propped her hip against his chair and dangled a fresh bottle in front of him.

“I don’t know what’s going on or what this ‘offer’ is,” she said with a grin, “but I haven’t seen him look that amused for a couple months now. So keep it up.”

—

Another couple weeks and another couple nights spent giving each other random looks across the room - some silly, some sincere, some nearly unreadable - and buying each other a drink or two and Ryuu was beginning to get twitchy. Not because of his mysterious No, whose name he still hadn’t learned even with all his flirty banter with the bartender. This twitchiness was coming from the fact that Tora and Chika were making plans to head back to Japan sometime within the next few weeks and the fact that he didn’t plan on going with them.

He found himself back once again but this time he was hunched over the bar on one of the stools instead of at their usual table. The thought lingered in the back of his mind that it wouldn’t be ‘their’ table much longer and he hunched his shoulders even tighter.

“So where’s the rest of your troublemaker crew?” The bartender, who he had found out a couple weeks ago went by Eros, asked him.

“Home for now. Packing.”

“Packing? You guys going somewhere?”

Ryuu smiled sadly. “They are. But don’t worry you won’t get rid of this beautiful face just yet.”

Eros pouted a little at the news that the others were leaving and patted his hand. “Well you’re always welcome here.”

Ryuu’s smile this time was a little more solid and happy and Eros nodded at him before heading to the other end of the bar to take an order. Ryuu felt eyes on his back and glanced over to spot No sitting at his usual table, alone like always. He always seemed to be waiting for friends to show up or waiting for the two girls who worked here to get off work so they could go somewhere. Ryuu wondered what it was like to have so much patience to forever be waiting and waiting and waiting.

He slipped his hand in his jacket pocket and felt the note sitting inside. He took a few deep breaths and glanced back over to see an almost empty bottle sitting on the table in front of the guy. He waved Eros over and she rolled her eyes as she took his cash. Before she could step away to grab the drink - and before he could chicken out - he slipped the note out of his hand and gave it to her. She raised a brow at him and nodded almost proudly before grabbing the drink.

He had spent more time on that note than he wanted to admit.

_My dearest No_ , he had written, _my friends are going to be leaving the country soon and heading home and I was hoping to introduce you to them properly before they go. Without them here I’m not sure I’ll be back around the bar much unless I have a good reason to visit - drinking alone just isn’t much fun for me. I don’t know how you do it. You’re a mystery. My mysterious No. They tease me relentlessly for that just so you know._

_As always the offer for you to join us stands. And I would really like to sit across a table from you and hear your voice and see what other things you have to say to me. Please consider it._

_Yours, as always, Ryuu_

Ryuu tapped his thumbs against the bar for a few minutes until he heard the door open and Tora’s familiar voice shouting to him. Then he met them at their usual table with his usual grin and pretended for just a little bit that this night would last forever. It was easy to do with Tora’s stories and Chika’s deadpan additions and the laughter in the air between the three of them. They had just finished recounting the story of their first few weeks away from home when Tora’s phone rang and his eyes lit up.

“It’s Akane! I have to take it! She’s so excited about me coming home.” He hurried to step outside where it was quieter and just like that reality settled back down on Ryuu’s shoulders.

“It’ll be okay. You’ll be okay. You realize that right?” Ryuu looked up into Chikara’s eyes. “Just because we’re going back doesn’t mean we’re leaving you or anything. Anytime you need us we’ll be there.”

Ryuu grinned. “Of course I know that. It’ll just be weird going from living with Tora’s dirty socks everywhere and your fifteen hundred phone chargers laying around for the last few years to it being just me.”

“I’ll be sure to hide some socks before we leave. It’ll be a scavenger hunt for you.”

Ryuu had his head down on the table, groaning in misery at all the potential places Chika was listing for where he might hide socks - because now that he said it Chika was bound to do it just to mess with Ryuu - when Chika’s voice faltered and the chair across from Ryuu scraped against the floor.

Ryuu snapped his head up as a guy with sparkling blue eyes slid into the seat across from him.

“Haru,” No said. “Given name.”

Ryuu’s face hurt from smiling so wide.


	5. Rin vs Ryuu

Every horizontal surface in Kou’s kitchen looked like some form of a wedding had thrown up on it. Binders of floral arrangements, sheets of stationary choices, bundles of ribbons, stacks of menus. Ryuu was tempted to pull out the plastic bag hidden at the bottom of his messenger bag. Just to see the way Kou’s eyes would no doubt light up with glee at the sight of that much glitter ready to be unleashed onto the world. He was just about to suggest it, hand already inching towards his messenger bag, when Kou’s door practically burst open.

“I heard there was some dork from Nanase Effect here,” a loud voice rang out. “Oi Haru. Thanks for telling me you were back and apparently got - who the hell are you?”

Ryuu watched the man practically stumble to a stop in the doorway. Judging by the nearly identical hair and the exasperated look on Kou’s face this was her brother, Rin.

“Not the Nanase you were looking for obviously.” Kou sniffled delicately. “Is there something in particular you wanted Rin?”

“No. Not the Nanase I was looking for.” Ryuu swore he heard Rin mutter something about him being ‘the fake Nanase’ as he strutted across the kitchen and started poking at the binders on the counter. “What the heck is all this? You really need this much just for a wedding?”

Kou scoffed. “Coming from the ‘true romantic’ himself?” She threw a balled up piece of paper at Rin’s back. “You’re just grumpy that you can’t run it all cause it’s my wedding and you’re just sad and lonely.”

Rin scoffed back at her and rifled through the loose ribbons on the counter. “I just don’t see why you had to waste your time with some wedding planning thing when you know mom and I would be more than willing to help. Keep it in the family you know? No offense,” he added. An afterthought tossed over his shoulder.

Oh yeah. Ryuu was definitely leaving the bag of glitter with Kou. She’d know exactly what to do with it.

“Well,” Kou started before Ryuu could even work up more than a mild irritation at Rin’s caustic attitude, “seeing as how Haru disappeared to a different continent - but he didn’t stop talking to me for years take note of that Rin - _he_ might as well be my brother and therefore is family. And seeing as how Ryuu took Haru’s name as his own and has been my friend for years _he_ might as well be family I guess I am keeping it in the family.” Kou threw another ball of paper at the back of Rin’s head. “So stop being such a jerk about everything and just accept that Ryuu and Haru are doing this for Rei and me. End of tantrum. End of story. End of discussion.”

Ryuu’s phone buzzed on the table and he dug through the pile of papers scattered between them to find it.

<< can you meet me at the diner? I think there’s gonna be an explosion of sorts here soon

Kou raised a questioning brow at him and Ryuu showed her the message.

“I don’t know if he just misses you or if something is actually going on,” she said.

“I’ll let you know either way.” Ryuu grinned at her and started collecting binders and papers to leave and ones to take back. He got everything tucked away in his messenger bag and pulled the strap over his head. “Go ahead and dig through this stuff at your own leisure. You’ve got my number if you have any questions.”

“And you’ve got mine.”

Ryuu nodded and bent down to give her a hug. “There’s a special bag just for you right under those invitation samples,” he whispered. “Do with it what you will.” He jerked his head towards Rin with a grin that she returned after a moment. She reached up and adjusted the collar of the dress shirt he had under his sweater.

“This is why I love you.”

Ryuu winked. “Don’t let your boys hear you say that. I’m not Haru so they might actually take offense.”

Kou laughed and shoved him away. “Whatever. Go. Save our man from whatever disaster he’s in now.”

Ryuu left with a smile on his face, a bag of glitter on Kou’s table, and the comforting feel of Rin’s glare branding his back. It wasn’t anything new to him, not really. People had been giving him dirty looks all his life for one reason or another.

—

The chatter of the diner was a nice background noise to what Haru was watching unfold. He only hoped Ryuu could make it here before the really good stuff started. He had met up with Saeko here to finalize a few details about her baby shower. She had insisted on the diner and at first Haru thought it was because of some weird craving or something but apparently she had been meeting with some of Ryuu’s friends in an attempt to also plan a surprise welcome home party for him. Which she wanted Haru in on because she had correctly assumed that he wasn’t really one for surprises but was more than happy to surprise Ryuu.

Which is how he found himself squished into a booth with Noya beside him chattering away at a level of intensity that Nagisa would appreciate and Saeko on his other side. Across from him were Suga, who kept asking him ‘random’ questions about his own friends, mostly Makoto, Chikara, who Haru remembered from when he and Ryuu first met and had spent a comfortable ten minutes catching up with before the others showed up, and Asahi. Haru still wasn’t entirely sure why Asahi was here but Suga had bought him a milkshake the moment he walked in and Asahi had politely asked Haru if Ryuu was going to join them. There was a glint of determination in his eyes that reminded Haru of Makoto before he started scolding people and he was just glad that Asahi was there for Ryuu’s hide and not his own. At least he hoped Asahi wasn’t here for his hide.

“Actually he left Kou’s about a half hour ago so he should be here any minute,” Haru told Asahi.

“Kou,” Suga said. “That’s your high school friend who is getting married, right?” Haru nodded. “Was that coming up soon then?”

“She would like to do something in the next couple months if possible. The sooner the better. It’s, well, it’s kind of complicated to explain.”

“I understand.” Suga smiled at him. It was a smile that managed to soothe Haru when he didn’t even realize he had been tense at all. “You guys be sure to let us know if you need any help. Same goes for Saeko’s shower, obviously.”

“Obviously,” Saeko drawled. “You think I’m letting any of you punks get out of helping with this you’re loony.”

“Your last checkup was okay?” Asahi asked. “You didn’t say anything about it so I assumed it was good?”

Saeko hummed and started talking about how the baby was doing and what sort of stuff she was apparently supposed to be going through these last weeks of pregnancy. Haru figured he should probably listen since Kou would be going through these same things in eight or nine months. But he also figured that he could just ask Saeko again later. She seemed like the kind of person more than willing to help out. She also seemed a little more… open minded about things. Which might come in handy once Kou revealed to her family that she was pregnant but didn’t know the father. That is if she opted to share that detail. Which she might want to just to avoid rumors later on in case her kid grew up with the Mikoshiba’s red hair instead of something closer to Rei’s or her own coloring. The Mikoshiba nose was pretty distinct too, now that he thought about it. Not nearly as sharp as Rei or Kou’s.

He sighed and rubbed his hand across his eyes. He would be there for her no matter what. He just hoped that she wouldn’t have to deal with too much crap from people. Not just strangers either. He had no idea how Kou’s own family would take it, seeing as how she hadn’t even mentioned to them how her relationship really was.

Now that he thought about it he wasn’t even entirely sure how their relationship was. He’d have to ask Kou about it next time they talked.

“Everything okay?” Saeko nudged his arm with her elbow, voice quiet. Haru blinked a few times and drew himself back into the conversation. Noya was telling some story that had the others’ attentions. Haru tilted his head at Saeko.

“Complicated.” Was all he said but she nodded like she understood completely.

Luckily Ryuu saved the day by walking in just a moment later and drawing everyone’s focus. He was followed a moment later by Sousuke and Haru watched as Chikara proceeded to choke on his drink of tea and nearly fall out of his chair at the sight. No one else seemed to notice, too caught up in teasing Ryuu over his outfit - which Haru thought was silly because Ryuu looked pretty damn good in his ‘business casual’ meeting clients outfit - to see the way Chikara’s face flushed. But Haru did. It was an interesting sight and tucked it away for future reference. Haru blanked his face as Chikara turned to see if anyone noticed.

“Am I in trouble?” Ryuu asked with a laugh. Haru realized how odd it must look to walk into a diner and see your sister, your partner, and four of your close friends all waiting for you. “I feel like one of you is about to say this is-”

“Ryuu,” Haru said seriously. “This is an intervention.”

“It’s for your own good,” Noya piped up, just as serious.

“You know we all love you,” Saeko said, eyes wet with tears.

“Holy shit,” Ryuu muttered. Sousuke stepped up behind him and gave them all an odd look.

“We just. We just need you to understand,” Suga added with a sniffle.

“Don’t look at me.” Asahi pulled his milkshake - his third since they got there Haru didn’t understand him at all - closer and sucked on the straw. “I’m just here for the milkshakes.”

Chikara tilted his head and peered at Ryuu through his bangs.

“Give it to me straight Chika,” Ryuu said.

“If you can,” Asahi muttered around his straw. “What?” He asked when they all looked at him. “We all know ‘straight’ isn’t exactly something Ennoshita is known for.”

Silence grew between all of them as Ryuu looked around the table. Haru’s mask was impenetrable. Until Suga snorted loudly and then they were all laughing. Sousuke met Haru’s eyes and shook his head. But he was smiling and Haru saw the way his eyes lingered on Chikara’s face as Ryuu dropped dramatically into his friend’s lap to the sound of more laughter.

—

The sun was warm on his back and the breeze was a comforting caress on his heated skin as Rin jogged his usual path through the park and down the path towards the beach. It was one of his favorite things about living in this area: the gorgeous running paths and the easy access to the beach and the open waters waiting there. His mind was still stuck on his sister’s upcoming wedding and everything coming with it. He didn’t understand why she was suddenly insisting on it being as soon as possible. He knew that she and Rei had been together for years now so it wasn’t like they had to worry about one of them running out or whatever.

His sister and Rei. Now that was a pairing he had never really seen coming. If anything he would have bet money on her and Mikoshiba, no matter how much the idea irritated him. Or maybe even her and Haru, given how close they had been by the time Haru graduated. But then Haru had left and Kou had been, well not exactly heartbroken but it had been clear that whatever bond she had with Haru had been shaken by his sudden departure and Rin had been determined to never let someone hurt her like that again if he could help it.

But now Haru was back. And he was attached to some snooty preppy looking jerk who wore dress shirts under sweaters and was all organized with binders and color coded shit that looked like some housewife’s wet dream of a Pinterest feed. And his sister had the nerve to call that bland, stuffy stick in the mud family?

A chorus of shouts and cheers broke into his thoughts and he wished he had his music with to drown it all out. He slowed his run to an easy jog as he headed down the winding path to the beach. He usually jogged through the sand down the length of the beach on his longer runs and was debating if he wanted a long one today or just a quick jog to the water and back when he was distracted by another round of cheers.

There was a beach volleyball game going on and he watched the ball flying from side to side, hard slaps and thwaps loud even with the rush of beach noise. He tracked the ball, eyes flickering over the people playing and watching in a vague sort of disinterest when he spotted a familiar face in the small crowd. Yamamoto Taketora met his eyes for a moment and waved before getting caught up in the action of the game and cheering when the ball hit the sand.

Rin decided to jog towards the water and back. He wasn’t really planning on straying close enough for potential conversation but he also wasn’t going to avoid it either. That was apparently his mistake. Because he took his eyes off the game and only a minute later he heard a warning shout and he looked over just in time to jerk out of the way of a volleyball flying at him. He heard a muffled yell about a bad receive. He looked back from the volleyball to see someone jogging towards him.

It took him until the guy was nearly next to him to register that it was the same person he saw the day before in Kou’s kitchen.

“Oh hey!” Ryuu’s face lit up like Rin was his best friend in the world. “How are you?”

Before he could answer a blur of a person flew across the sand and latched onto Ryuu’s back. They were a mess of tangled limbs and impressively creative curses and Ryuu flailed past Rin to go sprawling in the sand a few feet away. Gone was the stuffy clothing and image of having it all together. It was hard to see Ryuu in a raggedy tank top and bare feet, cursing up a storm as he tried to untangle himself from whoever had tackled and compare that to the well put together guy in his sister’s kitchen.

Rin scoffed and turned to jog back up to the path. The guy yesterday was a stuffy prick. The guy today was some annoying overly loud jock. Either way Haru got hitched, or whatever the hell he did, to some guy that Rin couldn’t picture Haru with at all. The guy yesterday and today both seemed like over the top fake personalities.

“Hey! You wanna watch us play a bit? Or, hell, join in? We were just about to swap up teams after this round.”

Rin paused at Ryuu’s voice and looked over his shoulder at the tangle of limbs still rolling in the sand.

“We’re not friends,” Rin bit out, irritated. He just wanted to finish his run and go home. Ryuu raised his brows in a look that he had to have picked up from Haru. It just made Rin even more antsy. “And I don’t play volleyball. So, uh, thanks but no thanks.”

He took off towards the path again and ignored the pang in his chest that reminded him that they weren’t friends. Yet. But they probably would be if Rin wanted anything to do with his friends in the foreseeable future.


	6. Welcome Home

Even knowing what was going on Haru still felt a twinge in his gut as he and Ryuu walked up to the house the welcome back party was being held at. As far as Ryuu knew they were going out to eat with his sister and just meeting her here because she had been visiting with the person who lived here. Ryuu didn’t suspect a thing. Which made the fact that he was still so excited absolutely adorable in Haru’s opinion. He smiled to himself as Ryuu practically skipped down the sidewalk.

It hadn’t really been a tough choice for him to come back. Honestly as long as he was with Ryuu he was pretty sure he’d be happy just about anywhere. It had been Ryuu who had debated and lost sleep over the idea of coming back in the end. Like he thought that it’d be a burden of some sort for Haru. Like Haru wouldn’t bend over backwards for Ryuu. Then again when they first met Haru wouldn’t have even bent over to pick something up for Ryuu, forget moving across the ocean for a second time and back a part of the world that held so many memories for him, both good and horrible, so he could understand why Ryuu might have been a little hesitant. Why Haru had to be the one to bring the option up.

But seeing him so excited just at the idea of spending the afternoon with his sister, not even knowing that it would be an afternoon with so many of his friends celebrating his return, Haru couldn’t keep the spark of joy from warming him as well. Especially when Ryuu glanced over his shoulder at Haru and gave him a smile. Not the blinding one that proclaimed to the world that he was happy. But the small one that Haru always felt like it meant that Ryuu’s entire world and everything he wanted was right within reach.

Ryuu reached back and tangled their fingers together.

Haru sped up enough to lead Ryuu up the sidewalk towards the door and was rewarded with a warm laugh.

“That eager to see my sister are you?”

Haru huffed at him and knocked on the door. He heard footsteps approaching and turned around to press a quick kiss to Ryuu’s cheek, sure it would be the last one he could sneak for awhile.

“I’m just glad to be home. To be here with you and the people who love you.”

Ryuu pulled away with a look of surprise just as the door opened and Saeko waved him inside.

“C’mon, c’mon.” Saeko grabbed Ryuu’s hand when he didn’t move fast enough and started tugging him into the house. “Don’t worry about the shoes,” she said when Ryuu tried to stop to take his off. “We’re going right back outside.”

Haru barely managed to keep his face blank when Ryuu look over his shoulder at him in confusion; Saeko had insisted on keeping Ryuu off balance when she and Haru had discussed it because they both knew that the moment he had a chance to stop and wonder what was going on he’d figure them out.

Saeko dragged Ryuu through the kitchen to the door out to the backyard and Haru just did his duty and kept nudging Ryuu forward with a content smile threatening to slip onto his face.

“And here we are,” Saeko announced, tossing her arms up in the air and stepping to the side just as Haru pushed Ryuu through the doorway.

There was a collective shout of “Surprise!” and then Ryuu was tumbling into a mass of arms and bodies and cheerful noise. Saeko hooked her arm around Haru’s waist and laid her head on his shoulder for a moment.

“Thank you,” she said softly. He hummed in confusion. “For giving him a chance. For staying with him. For letting him realize that he could come home whenever he wanted. For whatever.” Then she hugged him a little tighter and laughed. “And for not realizing that he’s not the only brother I’m welcoming back with this party.”

There was a noise at the edge of the yard and Haru watched with nerves suddenly jumbling in his gut as a gate opened and his friends filed in. Kou and Nagisa were the first two to spot him and he had only a moment to prepare himself before Nagisa shouted his name and took off across the yard, dodging and darting between people, and threw himself into Haru’s arms. Kou followed, a little more sedately but she still made it across the yard in a few seconds. The rest of them - Makoto, Rin, Rei, Seijuurou, and even Momo and Ai and Ren and Ran he saw with a sharp twinge of nostalgia - slowly made their way through the yard.

“Welcome home.” Saeko smiled and stepped out of the way so Kou could take her place.

—

It was all Yamamoto’s fault really. Which is a statement that once upon a time Chikara never would have imagined would hold such a large and important spot in his life. There had been a lot of things in Chikara’s life that had been Tora’s fault that had happened in the years since Ryuu had ‘officially’ introduced them and insisted that they would be good friends. Things like Chikara’s three tattoos, gotten on three separate occasions of course. The autumn he had gotten his navel pierced and everything that followed was all Tora’s fault. The scar across his shin from when Tora insisted that they go down the stairs in Kuroo’s parent’s house in a laundry basket and Chikara, in all his drunken glory, had agreed that it sounded like a splendid idea.

The list of Things That Are Tora’s Fault that Chikara kept in his mind ranged from the mundane ones like the fact that he now liked cheesy action movies with more explosions and bad CGI than plot and that he had a key chain shaped like a pickle on his keys and wound through the complex and ‘potentially frightening to most people and therefore could never be found out about by people like Suga and Saeko’ that involved things like the semi-risque only way to describe it is softcore porn photo shoot that Chikara had been involved in and the fact that he and Tora may or may not have been married in one of the countries they had traveled through when they were teens.

So to say that the fact that Chikara was standing there talking to a man who kind of looked like he could crush Chikara with his thighs and biceps if he tried hard enough and willing himself not to babble out the random idea in his head was Tora’s fault, wouldn’t be an illogical assumption. If he really wanted to stretch he could say that even him being here was Tora’s fault from all those years ago. But he was feeling generous and decided only to blame Tora for planting that dumb question in his head.

He had been getting along fairly well with Sousuke until Tora had sauntered over all smug and leaned in close to murmur in Chikara’s ear. He had actually been enjoying his time with the man whose eyes had been haunting him for weeks ever since he had walked into that diner after Ryuu and Chikara had almost choked on his tea at the sight of him. Love at first sight was not something Chikara believed in. Lust at first sight however? That was something Chikara had experience with. And he might have had a type that might have gotten him into some awkward situations in high school.

He shook his head, trying to clear his scattered thoughts and Sousuke raised his eyebrows in question.

“Oh nothing. Just questioning my life choices that led me to be friends with some of the people I’m friends with.”

Sousuke nodded. “Understandable.”

They had been having a good time, damn it all to hell and back. He had tossed out some witty comments, Sousuke had snipped back a little, Chikara layered on some sassy comebacks. It had been a good time. Now all that was on his mind was the dumb thing Tora said and whether or not it was true and fuck Tora for knowing how insatiably curious Chikara could be when presented with a question like that. Because now he was wondering how he could possibly find out the answer.

“Ennoshita?”

“Swimmers. You were one in high school right?”

“Um. Yes. What about swimmers?” Sousuke had a cautious look on his face.

Chikara licked his lips. “Is it true they shave everywhere? Like. _Everywhere_?”

Sousuke blinked at him for a moment and then let out a breath through his nose. A moment later Chikara was holding back a surprised shout as Sousuke hefted him over his shoulder and carried him off to the nearest corner of the yard.

“Alright,” Sousuke said in an overly cheerful voice as he dropped Chikara to the ground. “Time for Chikara’s Time Out Corner.”

Chikara would be offended if he hadn’t heard that little grunt of effort it took Sousuke when he lifted him up and if his brain wasn’t caught on the fact that he called him Chikara instead of Ennoshita and wow yeah that was a thing that could happen more often. Along with the getting manhandled by Sousuke thing. Had he mentioned he had a type in high school that never really changed as he got older? Cause he did.

A commotion near the table the snacks were set out on drew both of their attentions before either could get into anything too flirty - and before Chikara could find out the answer to his damn question - and he heard Sousuke groan and mutter something about the troubles caused by best friends. Chikara looked over to see Ryuu in the middle of whatever commotion was happening and agreed.

—

“Look Matsuoka. I don’t know which of your many issues has crawled its way up your ass and made itself at home but you need to take a step back and chill the fuck out. In case you haven’t noticed your sister is a fucking adult.”

Ryuu knew he was making a scene. He knew it but couldn’t help himself and there was no one actively trying to stop him. Haru was a few feet away with his arm around Kou’s waist, murmuring something in her ear while she stared at the table next to Ryuu and Rin that was covered in notes about her wedding plans and Saeko was inside talking to Ukai, Ryuu could see their heads bent together through the window and that was a thing he wasn’t entirely sure he was ready to think about today. Especially not with Rin glaring at him and grabbing a fistful of Ryuu’s shirt.

“I get we’re not friends,” he bit out when Rin growled something unintelligible at him. “And that’s fine. Whatever. But whatever problem you have with me? Keep it with me. Don’t take it out on Kou or Haru just because you’re butthurt that Haru’s with me and that Kou wants us to help with the wedding.”

“Your so fucking full of yourself. Assuming this, any of this, has anything to do with you.” Rin snorted at him. “And people call me conceited? Why don’t you take that self-righteous stick out of your ass and do something productive like, I don’t know, stay the fuck away from my family?”

Ryuu’s fist was already in motion before he even realized someone else was there. He only missed his goal of smashing his fist into Rin’s ridiculous face because Seijuurou shoved them apart. Ryuu got a palm against his chest and, to his amusement, Rin got Seijuurou’s other palm in his face. They stumbled apart and Seijuurou stepped into the now open space between them. Then he grabbed them both by the back of the neck and hauled them close enough to hook his elbows around their necks and pull them so their faces were inches from his and each other’s.

“Listen closely both of you.” His voice was low and calm and Ryuu gulped because it was the same tone Daichi and Suga used to get when they were thoroughly done with the shit Ryuu and Noya were pulling. “I will not repeat myself. I will not _need_ to repeat myself because this is your one and only warning. You don’t have to like each other. You don’t have to be friends. But you will be civil to each other. You will not cause a commotion like this with each other ever again in front of Kou. Or Haru. Or Saeko. I’m not even going to list consequences because it. Will. Not. Happen. We don’t have to all be one big happy family. But, like it or not, I’m pretty sure we’re all going to be seeing a lot of each other.” Seijuurou looked around the yard meaningfully and they followed his gaze.

Suga and Makoto had been sitting on the porch together talking softly. Nagisa had once again made Asahi’s lap his seat while they talked with Rei. Chikara and Sousuke were standing in the far corner of the yard looking over at them in irritation. Ren and Ran had been huddled together with Hinata and Noya and Yachi and laughing about something. Tora was standing a few steps away, worried gaze flickering between Ryuu and Rin like he wasn’t sure which one he wanted to approach first. Some of their friends had known each other before. Some met because of Haru and Ryuu coming back and had swiftly fallen into new friendships. Either way their groups were connected and there was nothing that they could do about it now.

Ryuu’s tension dropped out of him and he let himself sag against Seijuurou’s side.

“That’s better,” Seijuurou said cheerfully when Rin sagged against him a moment later. “Now. You two go apologize to Kou before she decides that Haru is the only family member she needs to keep here and try to at least play nice in public.”


	7. The Big Reveals

The party was finally winding down and Saeko was glad. She hadn’t been playing dutiful hostess or anything but it had been a long day of the final prep work and making snacks and trying to keep Noya from eating half of them before the party even started. Which would all be exhausting on a normal day where she wasn’t over eight months pregnant and everything ached because of it.

But the looks on Ryuu’s and then Haru’s faces when they saw their friends all there for them had been worth every sore muscle and aching joint.

They party had trickled down to Saeko’s boys and the bride-to-be and her boys in the backyard and Saeko knew now that they were both hers. She had missed the commotion earlier but the way that the tall red head - Seijuurou the thought his name was - had ended it abruptly and spent the rest of the evening giving Kou soft glances left her with no doubt that he was hers. Which made for an interesting little trio since that Rei kid had been giving them both fond looks.

She rolled her neck from side to side as she stared out the window.

“I would offer you a shoulder rub but I’m not entirely sure you wouldn’t threaten to break my fingers off. Or worse.”

Saeko smiled over her shoulder at the man propped in the doorway of the kitchen.

“Oh Keishin,” she all but cooed at him. “I think you’d enjoy that too much.”

“Enjoy what? Me rubbing your shoulders or you breaking my fingers?” She stared at him and he hummed a little as the back door opened. “Yeah okay probably. What can I say? I’m a glutton for punishment if you’re the one punishing me.”

“Wow okay.” Ryuu stood in the doorway to the porch with a disturbed look on his face. “That was something I really could have gone my whole life without hearing.” Saeko glanced back to see Keishin blushing and starting to fidget like a teenage boy whose mother just found his porn stash. She stuck her tongue out at him and wiggled her eyebrows and he blushed harder. Ryuu, trying his best to ignore whatever was happening there, shook his head and continued. “Anyway I just wanted to say thanks again for letting us use your place Coach Ukai.”

“It was no big deal. Really.”

“He actually suggested that if we needed a place for the baby shower or anything like that for Kou’s wedding we can crash his place again.” Saeko stretched her back as best as she could before turning to lean against the counter. The cool press of the counter top against her lower back felt absolutely divine.

Ryuu raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“Okay,” he finally said slowly. “This thing I get. I mean most of the people here were Karasuno alumni and all that. But the baby shower? Kou’s wedding stuff? When did you two get so friendly that Coach is offering for stuff like that?”

Ryuu’s shrewd gaze flickered over her then did the same to Keishin. She knew that despite his high school actions and reputation he wasn’t a complete idiot and he was very good at listening to his instincts and piecing things together. Saeko pressed her hand to her stomach and sighed softly.

It wasn’t like she had really planned on keeping it from Ryuu, of all people. It was just one of those things where she never mentioned who the father was and Ryuu never pushed. It was the way they worked. There were gaps of his time away from home that he never mentioned and she never pushed for more. It was the way they had always been. They were there for each other no matter what but knew that there were always pieces of themselves they opted to keep private.

She had just… wanted a child. Wanted to be a mother. Didn’t necessarily want the whole messy relationship aspect of things - and had accepted a few years ago that she probably never would want that - but still wanted the family. She never really brought up who the father was because for one thing it was nobody’s business but her own who she told and for another she was perfectly okay with it. She didn’t need the judging looks of people who thought she wasn’t quite right in the head for wanting to be a single mother. What the hell did they know? She had done her fair share of raising Ryuu and he turned out perfectly fucking fine. And that was before she had a really damn good job and a really awesome support network of friends.

A warm hand wrapped around her wrist and it was only then that she realized she had clenched her free hand against her hip so hard she was bound to have drawn blood with her nails. Her eyes traveled from the hand on her wrist up to the wide shoulders and eventually the encouraging smile that Keishin was giving her.

“Might as well tell him,” he said softly. “He’s not dumb. He’ll figure it out eventually. Especially after the kid’s born I’m sure.”

Saeko huffed at him. Then she turned and gestured for Ryuu to come over to her. She stepped away from Keishin and tucked herself against her brother’s side.

“You know I’ve been thinking about having a kid of my own for awhile now, right?”

Ryuu nodded. “Yeah a few years at least.”

“Yeah. Well. I finally decided I wanted a kid. And, well,” Saeko swallowed the sudden lump of worry in her throat. “Well. Keishin’s the father. And that’s that.”

Ryuu went tense for a moment, eyes snapping to his former coach before narrowing as he filtered through the various conversations they had over the last couple years, and since she announced to him that she was pregnant.

“He’s the one I don’t have to kill because there are no hurt feelings or misunderstandings,” Ryuu stated, voice bland.

Keishin made a surprised noise but otherwise kept silent and still. Which was a smart move on his part as far as she was concerned. But then again he did coach Ryuu all those years ago so he at least had a grasp of how to handle her brother.

“He’s the baby’s biological father and he’s my friend. That’s all there is to it.”

She tilted her head away from Ryuu enough to see the thoughts tumbling around in his head. Logically she knew that Ryuu would be a little upset but it wasn’t like he would disown her or anything. No matter what the sudden churning in her gut was telling her. Just as she was about to say something, anything, to ease the wrinkle in his forehead away Ryuu sighed.

“Well I can’t say I’m all that happy you didn’t tell me sooner though I guess you had your reasons.” Saeko felt the tension draining from her with each syllable out of his mouth. “And at least it’s not some random weirdo or something. Coach Ukai’s a pretty decent guy I suppose.”

“Pretty decent? Listen here you little punk.”

Saeko stepped away from Ryuu as Keishin shook a fist at him and started chasing him around the kitchen, threats of ‘just because you’re not a scrawny assed teenager doesn’t mean I can’t make you do flying falls around my damn house’ filling the air as she bit back her laughter. Eventually they settled down and Saeko watched from her spot against the counter as Ryuu gave Keishin a searching look and then nodded, decision obviously made about the whole thing. She had no doubt she and Ryuu would be talking sometime soon about it all but for now he was content.

Ryuu rubbed his cheek and then grinned at her.

“So, uh, not that I want any details.” Saeko narrowed her eyes, already sure she knew where this was going. “But, uh, well. Was it something all clinical or did you two, you know?” Ryuu wiggled his eyebrows and leered at them suggestively.

It took Keishin a moment to register the words and then he facepalmed so hard it echoed through the kitchen. Saeko reached for the nearest thing she could find and jabbed it in her brother’s direction. Granted the large metal tongs for the grill weren’t the most threatening thing she could have grabbed but she figured Ryuu was just lucky she didn’t go for the set of knives on Keishin’s counter.

Ryuu doubled over in laughter as Keishin sputtered and Saeko growled menacing snippets of sentences as she brandished the tongs at him. There may have been threats of castration and rusty spoons and the like.

Haru stepped in from the back yard and took in the scene with a quick glance. His eyes lingered on the tongs in her hand for a moment and then he deftly sidestepped past Ryuu, slipped to the fridge to grab the meat they were grilling for supper, and snatched up the spatula on the counter on his way back through.

“Sorry to interrupt. Please wash the tongs if you stab him with them.” Haru pressed his elbow against Ryuu’s side as he slipped past again. Saeko couldn’t help but smile at the dopey look Ryuu gave Haru in return.

—

Soft lights lit the yard as they finished their meal. Haru had grilled them a small feast and they had devoured it. Laughter and conversation flowing like a clear stream on a warm day. Refreshing and brisk and just the thing needed after the loud day they all had. Kou smiled in thanks as Ryuu took her plate and then bit her lip in consideration. The people here were people she could trust. And a majority of them already knew her situation, or at least bits and pieces of it, and honestly she just wanted to say it, to announce it to them all and be done with it.

She looked around the backyard as Ryuu came back from the house and settled on the porch near his sister. Haru lounged at her feet, back resting against her knees. Ryuu and his sister were leaning against each other’s shoulders a few feet away. Ukai was finishing dragging stuff back where it belonged with Seijuurou’s help. She had to search for Rei for a moment and spotted him at the edge of the porch, half hidden in the shadows watching Seijuurou.

Haru pressed back against her knees and she draped her arms over his shoulders in response.

“It’ll be okay if you want to talk. No one here will judge you for it.”

Kou snorted softly. “Is that a truth?”

Haru took a deep breath and dropped his head backwards to stare up at her with those big blue eyes of his. Those eyes had been the first thing that she fell in love with back in high school.

“The biggest truth I have right now is that you’ll feel better and you know it.”

Kou rolled her eyes at him but nodded. He was right. She would feel so much better after getting this off her chest. Get everyone here on the same page. Footsteps drew her attention as she watched as Ukai and Seijuurou made their way back to the porch, voices quiet as they talked, and she watched Rei slip over to her and Haru from the corner of her eye. Once the other three were settled, Seijuurou sprawled across the porch with the toes of his shoes pressed against her hip, Rei seated on the ground next to Haru, and Ukai propped against the door into the house, she took a deep breath.

“I have something to tell all of you.” That drew everyone’s attention and she licked her lips nervously. Funny how confident she could be, bossing people around left and right at work, but drop her into this situation and she feels like she’s forgotten how to talk. “Well Haru already knows and so I’m sure that means Ryuu knows most of it. But it’s, um.” She swallowed harshly and stared down at the top of Haru’s head.

“Complicated?” Saeko offered. Kou nodded. “That’s okay. I’m getting the feeling that Haru and Ryuu are the least complicated thing going on here.”

The words, and the friendly laughter as Ryuu sputtered and demanded to be told what she meant by that, cut something loose in Kou and she took a deep breath and once the laughter and chatter died down she found her voice again.

“I’m pregnant. And I don’t know who the father is, nor do I care, because Rei, Seijuurou, and I are all involved with each other.”

There was a long silence. Haru pressed against her knees and she curled her fingers into his shirt.

“You’re- You’re pregnant?” Rei’s voice was breathy with surprise. She nodded and a moment later his arms were wrapped around her, face buried between Haru’s back and her stomach. Haru tilted his head back enough to bump against Rei’s in support.

“Really?” Seijuurou asked softly as he inched towards her. “Like really really?” She nodded again. “Holy shit,” he muttered. He reached out and twisted her ponytail around his fingers and gently tugged until she turned to look at him. His eyes shone as he leaned in to press a kiss to her forehead. “Holy shit,” he repeated with a laugh, breath warm against her skin.

“Congratulations!” Saeko called over. “This is a congratulations moment right?”

“That kid is going to be so fucking spoiled,” Ryuu said, voice light with laughter.

“Oh and mine isn’t? Please. You’re going to spoil the shit out of my kid.”

Kou couldn’t keep the bubble of laughter from coming out and before she knew it she had Seijuurou and Rei curled around her, laughing with her, tears of happiness on all their faces. Haru had tried to slip away but someone had snagged his shirt. At first she figured it was Rei until Seijuurou straightened and slid onto the ground next to Haru and Haru’s warmth left her knees. Rei curled tighter against her and she strained to hear what Seijuurou was saying to Haru.

“Thank you for being there for her,” Seijuurou said seriously. “I know she’s been worried about us, the three of us, ever since she and Rei decided to actually get married. But since you’ve come back she’s been able to relax more about it. So thank you.”

She didn’t catch Haru’s response but it must have been whatever Seijuurou needed to hear because he ruffled Haru’s hair and then slid back up onto the porch next to her.

“You sure know how to make an announcement, babe,” he whispered in her ear.

“Learned from the best,” she replied.


	8. Past: Rings It Is

The light from the TV flashed and flickered as a tremendous explosion lit up the screen and quickly faded to black. Ryuu curled a little tighter against Haru’s side and nuzzled at his shoulder as the commercial break started. The weather had been dreadful and Ryuu was happier than ever that he and Haru were starting to poke at the idea of their own party planning business since it meant that they could choose to stay inside on miserable days like today and curl up under blankets and marathon shows and movies and do nothing more productive with their day than water a couple plants and order takeout.

“Did you want to do anything special?” Ryuu asked, continuing the conversation they had started earlier that day. “It’ll be three years that we’ve been together.”

Haru shrugged and drew the blankets a little tighter around them. “If you want something big we can. Otherwise I figured we might just go to the bar and see everyone for a bit and maybe go to that brewery tour you wanted to check out.”

Ryuu hummed and snuggled tighter against Haru.

“That sounds like a plan to me.”

The TV flickered through the commercial break and back to the show. They both focused on the screen as the scene played out. After climbing into the back of the ambulance with their lover who had been injured in the fiery explosion slash crash and holding tightly to their hand while the paramedics rushed them to the hospital and into the E.R. the hero was now busy angrily protesting the fact that they weren’t being allowed into the recovery room of their lover while the nurse on duty at the hospital did their best to calmly explain that only immediate family members were allowed in.

“You’re not on the list,” the nurse with eternal patience said to the hero, “I’m sorry but it’s immediate family only.”

“That’s so dumb,” Haru muttered. Ryuu made a questioning noise. “Just say your her brother or something if you need to be in there so badly,” he said to the hero on TV.

“I think they’d ask for ID or something like that,” Ryuu said. Haru huffed in irritation.

“So say you’re her step-brother or whatever. What’re they gonna do? Ask for proof of your parent’s marriage?”

“I dunno. Maybe.”

Haru huffed again and Ryuu pulled back a little to study him. This was actually bothering him. Not that he was surprised by the fact that something bothered Haru, he had gotten past the whole ‘Haru is an emotionless alien from another planet’ theory within a couple weeks after they started talking at the bar. He was more surprised that this particular topic seemed to be riling Haru up so badly.

“Then they should just change one of their names if they’re so desperately in love with each other. Take the same family name and then they have no proof without searching into records.”

“Well. It’s not exactly an easy two minute procedure you can change your mind on at a moment’s notice as far as I know,” Ryuu said as he tried to piece together where Haru was taking this topic.

Haru gestured towards the screen where the hero was now brooding over something while staring moodily out into the rain through the window of the waiting room. “But if they’re so important to each other why wouldn’t they want that? Wouldn’t you want to be in my room with me if something happened?” Ryuu stiffened at the thought but Haru continued on like he hadn’t noticed. Given the way his boyfriend was sometimes once he got caught up on a topic he probably hadn’t. “Seriously. Just change your family name and they’ll have a hard time proving you’re not family and you can get in and see them. Easy as that.”

“Yeah. Cause changing your family name is just that simple for some people. Right Tanaka Haruka?”

Haru froze for a moment and then turned to look at Ryuu, blue eyes dark with emotion as he stared at him.

“I don’t know,” Haru said after a long pause while the TV screen flickered and flashed in the background. Ryuu had already forgotten what they had been watching; he preferred watching the flicker of thought and emotion in Haru’s eyes any day. “I’m rather partial to Nanase Ryuunosuke myself.”

And just like that Ryuu understood the urge completely. The thought of being barred from Haru’s hospital room due to something as stupid as whether or not they were family on official record sent his stomach reeling. He swallowed hard, throat suddenly dry as the future unfolded in front of him. They had talked. They had been together nearly three years now and fuck had they talked. The idea of a paper marriage just felt so wrong to both of them, so at odds with who they were separately and what they had together. They trusted each other implicitly and were committed to each other. They didn’t need or want a paper saying they belonged together when their love ran deep enough that it bound them tighter than any official document.

So yeah. A paper marriage wasn’t for them. But a name? Merging together like that? Showing how deep their bond was, showing how much they loved and trusted each other without the safety net of a legally binding marriage under them? Maybe a ring on Ryuu’s finger with Haru’s birthdate etched into it and one on Haru’s with Ryuu’s birthdate?

Yeah they could do that.

Ryuu cleared his throat, still a little dazed at the look in Haru’s eyes.

“I, uh. I kinda like the sound of Nanase Ryuunosuke.”

Haru blinked a few times, eyes flickering around Ryuu’s face and no doubt taking in the blush that was crawling along his cheeks and the sudden dampness of his eyes.

“Yeah?”

Ryuu bit his lip and nodded. “Yeah,” he whispered.

A look of amazement and contentment settled onto Haru’s face and Ryuu fell in love with that soft smile all over again. He almost didn’t want to kiss the look off Haru’s face.

Almost.

—

Haru couldn’t get over the way the dark band looked against his skin. He had never really imagined himself in a relationship like this when he was younger. Sure there had been the occasional vague faceless dreams of someone by his side far in the future. But they never felt like this. Felt so solid and dependable. Felt like promises and compromises and hopes and dreams and a future spanning out endlessly like the night sky above him.

“You really like it that much?” Ryuu kissed the back of his neck before hooking his chin over Haru’s shoulder. He held out his own hand next to Haru’s, fingers splayed wide and dark band glinting in the moonlight.

The paperwork had taken months - months that had felt like a lifetime crawling past through tar and molasses in Haru’s opinion - but they got it done. No fanfare. No fuss. Just them, their rings, and their name.

_Their_ name.

Warmth curled through Haru’s body at that thought. At the promise of their future together.

They had been patient. They had no intention of going anywhere. They had waited and kept planning for the future and now…

Now Ryuu had a band around his finger and Haru had the matching one and Haru finally understood what Makoto had said to him years ago not long after he had left the country and what Kou had repeated months later. He finally understood how home could be a person and not a place. How it could be warm hugs and staying wrapped up in blankets all day and the steady rise and fall of Ryuu’s chest beside him. How it could be the way Ryuu’s nose wrinkled when he drank Haru’s tea on accident and the sight of another pair of shoes waiting just inside the door.

Haru hadn’t asked for any of it. But Ryuu had given himself to Haru piece by piece over the last three years without Haru even realizing he had been doing it and now Haru had proof of that wrapped around his finger. Proof he had never asked for. It was a truly freeing thing to be given someone’s heart like that without even knowing you needed it.

Haru slid the back of his hand under Ryuu’s palm and twined their fingers together before pulling Ryuu’s hand up to press a kiss just below Ryuu’s ring. If there were ever memories that Haru would keep in his heart the rest of his life it was the way Ryuu looked when he slid his ring onto his finger and the way he looked right now, staring down at Haru in amazement, the room silent save for their slow breaths and the plant in the window rustling in the soft breeze.


	9. Baby Time

Balloons and streamers covered half the surfaces in Keishin’s kitchen and he gave Ryuu a fond look as Ryuu put the final touches on the decorations, sliding the cake a touch to the left and then back to the right before he finally nodded and stood back.

“I think it’s all ready,” Ryuu stated.

Keishin had never seen his home covered in so much pastel in his life and, to be honest, he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to do it again. Babies were cute, sure. But they were so small and squishy and there was always so much pastel and baby powder smell and tiny little minature versions of things for them that he would never understand. Why did baby clothes need pockets? Why did they need little shoes? What three month old was running a marathon that they needed tiny little shoes with laces and rubber soles? Like honestly?

“Yeah. Pretty sure it’s ready. Now we just need Saeko to show up and then there will be guests here soon. Thanks again for letting us do this here. Haru and my place isn’t quite hosting a party ready yet.”

Keishin snapped out of his thoughts when Ryuu punched his arm and asked if he was okay.

“Oh yeah. No problem. Lending my house is the least I can do for you guys.”

Ryuu gave him the kind of contemplative look that Keishin remembered wishing the kid could have managed back in school; he always knew Ryuu wasn’t a complete idiot, none of his volleyball kids had been, he just wished he could have been better for them all, been able to encourage them in the ways they needed from him back then.

“You know I meant what I said to Saeko at the party, right? You’re a good guy. There are a lot worse people in the world that Saeko could have asked to help her have a kid.”

“Your sister kind of scares the shit out of me sometimes I’m not gonna lie. But I’m really glad she asked me. Did she ever tell you that even after you graduated she still stopped by the gym and came to games and stuff like that? She’s been the team’s big sister for about eight years now? Something like that.”

They settled onto his couch and Keishin smiled at eight years worth of her crazily driving kids to camps and cheering up in the stands. After Ryuu’s group had graduated he hadn’t been surprised to see her there the next year for Hinata’s group still, she had taken a shining to him after all. But when she showed up the next year and the next and the next he had been surprised.

“Now I’m not gonna claim she and I are best friends or anything like that but she’s a good person and I’m glad she seems to think I’m not a waste of time to hang out with.” Ryuu laughed at that and Keishin grinned back at him.

“What’s your favorite memory of her?” Ryuu bit his lip when Keishin raised his brows in question. “I just. Sometimes I feel like even though we talked a lot I still missed so much of her life and even though she told me to do what I needed to do I feel a little guilty about it.”

Keishin pointed at Ryuu. “Okay one: never let your sister hear you say that because you have no reason to feel guilty and she’s been so proud of you, you have no idea the number of times I’ve heard her bragging all about her little brother with his own business in a different country being ‘all awesome and shit.’ Her description,” he added when Ryuu gave him a weird look. He held up a second finger. “Two? Your sister still tells my kids stories about her brother, the greatest Ace Karasuno has ever had, and all the shit you and your friends got up to and gave me heart attacks over. Thanks for all the gray hairs by the way.” Ryuu snorted at him.

“Three?”

“My favorite memory of your sister has always been watching her drink men twice her age and size under the table before convincing Takeda to join her in singing songs that would make sailors blush. Second favorite memory is being there when you called her and told her about you and Haru and taking his name. I know you didn’t know I was there but she and I were hanging out when you called her and, shit. You made her so happy and proud when you called her and told her. She wouldn’t stop talking for like an hour about how you were finding your own way and you were finally happy and that-” Keishin paused for a moment, remembering the look on her face, the tears shining in her eyes, the pride in her voice as she spoke about her brother. He had to clear his throat and glance away from Ryuu before he could continue. “That, uh, that she really did raise you right no matter what anyone else ever said.”

Ryuu laughed softly to himself for a moment and then he leaned over and gave Keishin an awkward couch hug.

“Thanks for sharing that with me,” he said quietly. “I needed it.” A moment later the doorbell rang and Ryuu hopped up from the couch with a grin. “And now we never tell my sister you told me that because the last thing I want is for her to kill me now that I finally came back.”

“Agreed,” Keishin laughed. “I like not being dead too.”

Ryuu ran off when the doorbell rang again and Keishin got up to wander into the kitchen and poke at the snacks laid out on his counters. It was going to be a long day. He was just glad that it wasn’t some ‘girls only’ sort of thing like some people made showers out to be. The idea of his house filled with a dozen females and baby things honestly scared the shit out him more than Saeko did.

—

“So is Saeko going to be here soon? Did she get caught up with something?” Kou hopped up onto the counter and shamelessly shoved an entire cookie into her mouth. The look on her face almost dared Ryuu or Haru to comment on it. They glanced at each other and then away; neither of them were stupid enough to comment on it.

“Honestly I’m not sure. She said she’d be here before one but, well, she kind of does what she wants.” Ryuu laughed and checked his phone again. It was barely even 1:30 so he wasn’t too worried yet but he was starting to get a little anxious. Who knew what sort of trouble could crop up this close to the due date and that wasn’t even considering just what sort of trouble Saeko could get into in general. Okay maybe he was a little worried.

Ryuu peeked out of the kitchen into the living room. Everyone was here now. All they were waiting on was Saeko.

Ryuu swallowed the worry building up in his throat. “Maybe I should just call her to make sure.”

Haru leaned against him, a warm pillar of support, and wrapped his arm around Ryuu’s waist.

“Maybe she got distracted by the displays in that bakery again,” Haru suggested. “I mean she was late for dinner last week by nearly an hour because of that mochi ice cream display.”

Ryuu snorted. “That’s true.”

He still wasn’t entirely sure where exactly his sister put all the food she ate, even when she wasn’t pregnant, so he hadn’t been entirely surprised to find out she had been late to dinner because of desserts.

_“Life’s short! Eat dessert first,” she had announced a moment before she shoved a dessert into Ryuu’s mouth with a cackle. It was a good thing they were at the diner that Sousuke worked at or they might have gotten kicked out by her rambunctiousness that night._

Ryuu couldn’t help but smile at the memory.

Ryuu’s smile vanished into a scowl as Rin poked his head into the kitchen and asked, “Yo where’s the guest of honor? Or did she decide not to show?”

“I still don’t know why you’re here,” Ryuu grumbled.

“Sorry,” Haru murmured. “He and I are supposed to go out for a run later and he suggested meeting here since he was at his sister’s anyway and it’s closer. I didn’t realize he’d show up for the party too.” Haru raised his voice on the last part and Rin scowled at him.

Ryuu’s phone rang so he missed whatever no doubt scathing remark Rin gave Haru as he pulled it out and sighed in relief at the sight of his sister’s name on the screen.

“Hey Saeko where are you?”

“On my way to the hospital because my water broke.”

Ryuu blinked rapidly. “Um. Excuse me?” He shook his head. “I think I misheard you.”

Saeko’s sigh of nearly ending patience made him wince even through the phone.

“I am on my way to the hospital. Because my water broke.”

“Um.”

“No baby shower Ryuu. Baby is coming now.”

Ryuu processed that for a moment, brain switching into overdrive, and then he muttered, “Oh hell.”

“Listen. Just tell everyone there that the party has to be put off cause the baby is on the way. Get Kou to do it if you need her to. She’ll clear em out in no time.” Saeko let out a winded little laugh and sucked in a deep breath. “And then just get to the hospital as soon as you can. This kid does not seem intent on waiting any longer than necessary to come out.”

“Okay. Okay. I got this. We got this. We’ll see you soon.” Haru, Kou, and Rin were staring at him now, sensing his distress and the sudden urgency in his voice. “Oh and sis?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re amazing.”

Saeko’s laugh was bright and breathless.

“Tell me that in a few hours when this kid is out.”

“Will do.”

—

Ryuu wasn’t panicking, at least not entirely, but Haru kept an eye on him anyway. Not that he was too concerned. This was the man he had seen calmly talk down an angry entitled teenager and her even more entitled mother over a miscommunication (more like they changed their mind and didn’t bother telling anyone else and then proceeded to get angry that Haru and Ryuu were not, in fact, mind readers) that had, in their eyes, been not only an insult but the Absolute Last Straw and the thing that would Ruin The Day. Ryuu hadn’t missed a single step or beat that day.

  
And he hadn’t really missed a single one so far after Saeko’s phone call. Or before then really. Even Rin’s unexpected appearance hadn’t made him pause for more than a moment or two.

Haru’s eyes flickered to Ryuu and he bit back a sigh. Haru had told Ryuu that he didn’t know why Rin was there. It had been a lie. Haru knew Rin better than that. Better than Rin probably wanted him to. As much as he postured and stuck his nose up at the mere idea of it Rin could be easy to read. He was a bit like a code: you only had to know the right key and he was as easy as a picture book for toddlers. But he was prickly and quick to lash out when cornered. People compared Rin to a shark sometimes but to Haru he was always a bit like a world weary perpetual stray cat; never sure who to trust and which hand would be the one to steal away any sense of stability he had managed to claw out for himself in the world and forever feeling a little bit cornered no matter how clear the path in front of him was.

Even now at the hospital - someplace Rin really didn’t have to accompany them, but again, there was that need to stay near the hustle and fuss like a wary and curious cat - Rin was filled with unease. Haru wasn’t sure exactly what it was this time. No one was really ever all that at ease in a hospital but it was something more than that. Something that was churning under his skin, setting his knee bouncing and his fingers tapping impatiently against the chairs around him.

Kou, who was there at Saeko’s insistence - something about not wanting to be the only woman around once the baby came because the men just didn’t understand some things which Haru would readily agree with - looked between Ryuu and Rin with concern before catching Haru’s eyes in question. He shrugged in response and took the seat next to Ryuu; he didn’t know every detail of whatever issue there was between them and he was pretty sure he never would. Just because they loved each other didn’t mean that he and Ryuu shared each and every thought with the other person.

Only a moment after he sat down, Ryuu hopped to his feet and paced a few circles around the waiting area.

Rin scoffed. Haru watched as Ryuu, determined to keep from blowing up in the hospital, tried to hold in his temper.

“So the great Nanase Ryuunosuke isn’t some statue of perfection after all.”

Ryuu went still, so still he didn’t even appear to be breathing. Then he slowly turned his head and stared at Rin.

“I never claimed to be any kind of perfect.”

Rin scoffed again. “Could have fooled me. But look at you now. A giant mess.”

Ryuu’s jaw tensed as he tried so hard to stay civil and Haru’s gut churned. He always knew that Ryuu and Rin meeting had the potential to end explosively but he had held out hope that it wouldn’t be a total disaster. He forgot, either intentionally or it had been worn down over the years of separation he wasn’t sure which, how acidic and scathing Rin’s voice could be when he felt cornered.

“You’re not gonna be any better when Kou-” Ryuu stopped himself and sucked in a sharp breath. “I’m going outside for some air,” he said to Haru with a tight smile. Haru nodded.

“When Kou what?” Rin snapped at Ryuu’s back.

“It’s not my place to tell,” Ryuu said over his shoulder and then he was gone around the corner and Rin was staring at his sister.

“When Kou what?” Rin repeated.

Kou sat up straight and huffed delicately at her brother’s bristly tone. “You’re gonna be in his place in about seven months. Congratulations Rin you’re going to be an uncle.”

“Holy shit,” Rin finally exclaimed. “You’re? Holy shit. You’re gonna be a mom. And Rei’s gonna be a dad. And I’m gonna be an uncle?”

Kou stiffened. Haru wasn’t sure if she was ready to share it all but the gleam in her eye said she was doing it anyway.

“Me. And Rei.” She licked her lips. “And Seijuurou. We’re not sure who the father is and we don’t care. Because the three of us are together.”

Rin froze, eyes glazing over as he took it in. Then he let out a nervous laugh. When Kou didn’t say anything he turned to give Haru a searching look. Whatever he was trying to find wasn’t on Haru’s face.

“You knew,” Rin stated. “You all knew.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “And I found out because…” Rin shook his head and headed for the exit. “Whatever.”


	10. Time for a Chat

The sun beat down on him and Ryuu glared up at it. This really, really, _really_ wasn’t the time or the place for this kind of thing but a few moments after he had taken his first breath of fresh, cleansing air the door behind him had popped open with a deadly sort of calm that only spelled trouble for him. He didn’t like throwing around phrases like ‘killing intent’ and ‘looks that could kill’ even in his mind but that’s what he was feeling from behind him, letting him know that Rin was just a few steps away.

Of all the things he expected to see on Rin’s face when he finally turned around, a longing kind of hurt wasn’t on the list and he had to blink a few times to make sure he wasn’t imagining things.

“Okay this isn’t really the time for this but what the fuck is your problem with me?” Ryuu snapped out when he realized Rin wasn’t going to be the one to start talking. “I get that we don’t have to be friends but shit. You act like I crushed all your hopes and dreams and threw them in the trash or something.”

Anger was not the solution. But it was the most readily available emotion for him right now.

“I know you don’t like me,” Rin bit out, “and you have no reason to. But tell me. Am I that untrustworthy of a person? Am I that bad?”

This was… this was not the way Ryuu had thought their conversation was going to go. He had been expecting more swearing and yelling and insults. Not whatever this was. Not this dejected looking Rin.

“Well I don’t have a lot of experience with you personally to go on but you’re definitely being an asshole. I don’t know about trustworthiness.”

“I just. I don’t get it.” Rin looked like he had been searching for life’s secrets for years only to have them slip through his fingers. He even looked down at his hands like some answer was waiting in his clenched fists. He snapped his head up to meet Ryuu’s eyes and Ryuu balked a little at the fire in them. “How can you guys just come back and everyone acts like nothing happened? Like you were gone a couple months? How can everyone just forgive you like that? How could your sister forgive you so easily for being gone so long?”

He had never been accused of being a genius, even when it came to people, but Ryuu felt like major pieces of the puzzle that was Rin were falling into place.

“I don’t know. You’d have to ask Saeko. Or better yet ask Kou.”

Rin’s face curled into irritation, closing off whatever was there before, with a growl at Kou’s name. Ryuu was going to get whiplash from the emotions this guy went through. He had no idea how Rin managed to go through an entire day like this; just being around him for small amounts of time was exhausting enough.

Rin growled again, this time sounded disgusted, and started towards Ryuu. He caught a movement near the door but was distracted from it by Rin fisting his shirt and shaking him.

“I was only gone a couple years. You guys were gone seven damn years. When I came back I was still a damn outcast and practically treated like a leper. You were given a fucking party and welcomed with open arms. It’s bad enough she’s telling Haru this shit before me and you. But your damn sister probably knew too.” He shook Ryuu again but it was almost distant, like he had forgotten that Ryuu was even there. “You’re gone forever and come back because your sister got knocked up and then my sister’s wedding. Ugh I knew there was something suspicious about her suddenly upping the wedding date but she would never tell me anything. I might as well not even be here for all she fucking cares.”

Ryuu stiffened at the words, suddenly remembering all the conversations he and Haru had had while they talked about coming back. All the debates and heart to hearts. All the cursing and insecurities and doubts and really? Was it really fair of him to be pissed off at Rin now? Now that he realized that Rin was in the exact position that he and Haru had been so damn scared of being in? Now that he realized that Rin was just as lost and afraid of losing his friends forever as he and Haru had been?

Ryuu wrapped his fingers around Rin’s wrist and ignored the worryingly fast beat of Rin’s pulse. He had a feeling he knew what this was about but he wasn’t the person Rin needed to have this talk with.

"I would love to punch you in the face and start the fight you so clearly want,” Ryuu said. “Believe me I would. But my sister is having a baby right now and I don't have time for your bullshit anymore today. If you think you can cool down and not be a douche then by all means come back in with me. But if you're still butthurt that your sister clearly has reservations about how you're going to react when she tells you things - and from what I've seen she has every right to be cautious about that - then you can just get a cab back to your place and we'll let you know the details later. But either way I suggest you try actually talking to Kou. And listening to what she says."

Ryuu pulled Rin’s hand away and tugged his shirt from Rin’s clenched fist. Then he walked away.

“That was hot,” Haru muttered from where he had been watching them from the shadows like some sort of creeper.

“Thanks babe. I know you love it when I walk away from a fight.” Ryuu stuck his tongue out at Haru, gladly taking the distraction he was being given. “Now go talk to your friend and try not to miss our nephew’s birth.”

Haru squeezed his hand and then Ryuu stepped back into the coolness of the hospital.

—

Ryuu had only looked at Haru for a moment or two before going back to the hospital but those moments might as well as held entire books worth of conversations.

_This is your friend._ They had said. _Maybe not your best friend in the world but he’s your friend. And he’s so obviously lost right now. And maybe it’s not your fault but maybe it is a little for not confronting him sooner._

Which hurt a little. But not quite as much as the one that had said other things.

_This has been a long time coming considering what he did for you in high school._ That one had been the flickering look between Haru’s fingers clasped in Ryuu’s hand and the tight scrunch of Rin’s shoulders. _Not everything that was wrong can be fixed with a trip to Australia. Just fixing your friendship didn’t fix every bad thing that happened._

Haru hated that looks between people could hold so many words. That they could guilt and hurt and cut as deeply as anything said or unsaid. But he also remembers the feel of Makoto’s hand on his wrist before he left in high school and all the things that hadn’t been said for too long and the feel of Makoto’s hug when Rin brought him back. The feeling of forgiveness and relief and hadn’t he been more than a little selfish by pretending that it was all about him and never asking what Rin wanted out of it?

Weren’t they supposed to be friends? Family in a way?

_“He’s not the only brother I’m welcoming back with this party.”_   Saeko’s words echoed in his head and he glanced away from Rin and up to the hospital looming above him.

Family was such a strange concept.

Haru hadn’t even realized he was moving until he was standing behind Rin, once hand reaching out to carefully tangle in the back of his shirt.

“It hurt when you left,” Haru started softly. He was talking to Rin’s back but that was okay. That was safer than saying this all to his face. “It hurt Kou. It hurt all of us when you shut us out like that.” He could feel Rin trembling under his touch. “And then you came back but you didn’t let us help. You didn’t let us fix anything, or heal anything that was broken. We didn’t know what was going on with you and we felt like you didn’t want us to know. Even after everything that happened our last year, after everything you did for us. It felt like you stayed away and were stupid and we let you. It was like there was a line drawn and we didn’t want to cross it and somehow lose you again.”

Rin sagged in front of him. Haru didn’t like saying any of this but Rin had always been one of the few people who could get under his skin and make him dig his words out. Rin needed to hear the words but more than that he needed someone to make him listen to what was being said.

“Things may never be able to be what they were. There will be things that Kou and I tell each other we don’t tell you. But you’re not alone in that. There are things she’ll know that Ryuu won’t. That I’ll know and Rei and Seijuurou won’t. That there are things she’ll know that Makoto won’t. There are things that Ryuu and Saeko talk about that I will never hear a whisper of. That’s just how the world works. You may never be Kou’s first person to tell things to. But she does try to talk to you. You just have to start listening to her.”

Haru didn’t like words and his voice went harsh from use far too soon for his liking but he talked to Rin. Talked to the hunched slopes of his shoulders and the lightly shaking expanse of his back. Talked to his bowed head and the vulnerable curve of his spine as he tried to curl in on himself. He told Rin about how he and Ryuu had debated coming back at all. How they had both wondered if it would be worth it. If their friends would even accept them coming back. But he also told Rin about how even when they were on the other side of the world they still talked to people. Yes they may have lost contact with some friends, might not have talked to some people as much as they would have liked. But they never completely stopped talking. Kou still knew when Haru found new people to hang out with. Saeko had known about them dating. Makoto had known he had someone really important in his life.

“We made it a priority to keep in touch. And that, well.” Haru shrugged, voice ragged. “You didn’t and that hurt.”

He had followed Ryuu and Rin out here because he knew their tempers. Knew that Ryuu was on edge with Saeko in the hospital. He hadn’t planned on practically baring part of his soul for one of his oldest friends. But Rin really was one of his oldest friends, one of the people who had known him since childhood and still spoke to him and sometimes that was all you needed to make someone less a friend and more a part of the family.

Somehow at some point along the way they had forgotten that. Or maybe Rin just hated to let people in, to let them be family. Haru could understand that. It was harder when you lost someone after you let them in. It sucked to lose friends, sure. But losing family was like losing a piece of yourself that you never fully got back.

“She does love you. Even if she’s a little fed up with you right now. Just. Try talking to Kou. Small steps. Ask how she’s doing. Give her and Rei and Seijuurou your blessing even if she doesn’t need it. I dunno.” Rin finally straightened up. Finally looked over his shoulder at Haru and Haru gave him a shrug. “Don’t be an ass? Try being less of one?”

Rin’s face scrunched into something unreadable and then he started laughing.

“You were doing really well,” he finally managed to say. “Right up til the end.”

“Pep talks aren’t really my thing.”

The door to the hospital opened and Kou poked her head out cautiously.

“C’mon,” she called out when she spotted them, “the baby’s almost here!”

Rin waved for Kou to come over and Haru gave Rin one last look before he headed inside. He heard Rin say Kou’s name - cautious but hopeful - as the door shut behind him and could only hope, for both of their sakes, that they would be okay.


	11. Kou's Big Day

Ryuu took a deep breath of air and blatantly ignored whatever catastrophe Nagisa and Noya were plotting a few feet away. It had been a long, beautiful day and it had taken a lot of work to make sure it all went off without a single hitch and he wasn’t about to get himself roped anything that even remotely resembled effort. In fact he was strongly considering dropping onto his back right here on Ukai’s porch and taking a well deserved nap while the last of the after wedding ceremony party continued on around him.

“You’re surprisingly good at ignoring them,” a voice beside him said. He gave Makoto a passing glance as he settled onto the step next to him and then shrugged. “A lot of practice at it?”

Ryuu snorted at that. Normally he’d be all for whatever shenanigans Noya was getting up to. But he was just too tired toady.

“Less practice and more I know Noya’s minds works because I’m usually right there with him. I’m just too worn out today so I’m removing myself from the equation.”

Makoto laughed softly. There was a shout of excitement from Noya.

“And you?”

“Oh I know that Nagisa’s not dumb enough to do anything to jeopardize Kou and Rei’s day. And even if he does go a little too far Haru will catch him before anything bad happens.” Nagisa let out a cackle that was silenced by the familiar tone of Haru’s voice. Ryuu and Makoto shared a smile. “See?”

He was sure that Makoto wanted to say more but the other man just looked out over their gathered friends and propped his chin in his hand. It was okay though. Ryuu could wait to see what he wanted. They sat in companionable silence while the party continued to wind down. Before too much longer Kou and Rei - and Seijuurou he assumed - would take their leave and he could go collapse in Ukai’s spare room. He had been promised to be spared cleanup duties of any kind until the next day in thanks for being the one to do most of the setup and he intended on taking full advantage of that. He was lost in thoughts of how soft the bed might be and how warm and cozy the blankets were that he almost missed Makoto’s quiet voice.

“I’ve never gotten the chance to say thank you.”

Ryuu darted a look in his direction. “Never knew you had anything to thank me for.” His eyes caught on Chikara and Sousuke at one of the small tables set up around the yard, heads bent together and if he squinted he was pretty sure he could make out a blush on Chikara’s face. One that only grew deeper when Tora sauntered over with Rin in tow and, huh. When did he miss that happening?

“Of course you wouldn’t think that. But I’m pretty sure Nishinoya would want to thank Haru for the same reasons I want to thank you.”

“And that is…?”

“For taking care of my best friend. For being his support while he’s been away. For staying by his side even when I know he can be difficult sometimes. For loving him and letting him love you.”

“For bringing him back to you all?”

Makoto tilted his head and gave Ryuu a long look. It was kind of like being stared down by a golden retriever but he continued staring back until Makoto shook his head with a laugh.

“If that’s what he wanted. But I would have been happy knowing he was happy even if he was half the world away. And you make him happy. So thank you.”

A heavy weight settled against his back and almost sent Ryuu sprawling onto the grass at his feet. Warm arms circled his chest and fluffy silver hair tickled his cheek.

“Hello Suga. Come to make some moves on puppy eyes and kitten smiles here?” He didn’t even have to look to know both men were suddenly blushing. He could practically feel the heat coming from Suga’s cheek and Makoto gave him a good natured eye roll. Ryuu spotted Rin breaking away from Sousuke and Chikara and Tora and he made his escape before Suga could recover.

He sidled up to Rin and waited until he took a sip of his drink before he leaned forward and whispered in his ear.

“So you and Tora huh?”

Rin choked on his drink and came dangerously close to spilling the rest of his cup on the ground. Ryuu reached out and steadied it while Rin coughed and glared at him.

“Me and Tora huhwhatnow?”

Ryuu raised his brows and shook his head. Rin was not fooling him at all. And Tora wasn’t exactly known for being subtle, at least not to Ryuu who could still read him pretty clearly even after all these years. In fact Ryuu glanced over just in time to see Tora obviously ogling Rin’s butt in his slacks before dragging his gaze away to meet Ryuu’s and wink at him.

Ryuu looked back at Rin and shrugged.

“I know we’re not necessarily the bestest of friends but I won’t interfere. Tora’s a good guy but I have to warn you. He kind of comes with Chika attached. I think.” He glanced over again and watched Tora give Chikara a smacking kiss on the cheek before he started towards Rin and Ryuu. “I still don’t entirely understand their relationship. But I’m sure whatever sex there was had to have been amazing,” he added just as Rin went to take another drink.

Tora reached them and just shook his head as Rin sputtered and coughed and cursed Ryuu. But there was a smile on Tora’s face and a hint of friendliness in Rin’s curses.

—

Haru watched as Nagisa darted away to ‘go kidnap Atsuko’ and sighed. He was going to have to fight Nagisa for some time with his niece and that just sounded exhausting already. Asahi gave him a thankful smile and he waved it away when he spotted his favorite non-romantic stress relief partner. Sousuke rolled his eyes when Haru stepped up next to him but he didn’t say anything. Even when Haru blatantly eyed Chikara’s hand in Sousuke’s, Sousuke ignored him.

That just wouldn’t do at all.

He spotted Ryuu talking to Taketora and Rin and decided that much like whatever was happening between Nagisa and Asahi, he didn’t want to know the details of what was happening between them. Mostly because he figured he would find out sooner or later no matter how hard he tried to avoid it.

“So what’s it like knowing you both slept with one half of that couple?”

Sousuke let out the long suffering sigh that he reserved especially for Haru. Haru didn’t preen at the sound but it was close. Not many people could get that particular sigh after all.

“What’s it like knowing I’ve slept with one half of your couple,” Chikara shot back at the same time Sousuke muttered, “Who says it’s only half the couple?”

Haru stared at them both. For all that Ryuu talked about Chikara he forgot to mention how salty he could be. This did not bode well for Haru. Sousuke did not need any more salt in his life. He narrowed his eyes and scoffed at them. He wasn’t sure which he was more disturbed by at that moment: Chikara implying he slept with Ryuu or Sousuke implying he slept with both Rin and Taketora.

He wandered away without another word. He wasn’t admitting defeat at all, which he let Sousuke know by shooting him a pointed look over his shoulder, he just needed some time to process everything. Away from all these weird people. Preferably while holding his niece. Who he had to practically wrestle away from Nagisa.

Once he finally got his niece in his arms - and that was a phrase he had never imagined being able to apply to his life - he settled into the wooden swing on Ukai’s porch and Nagisa tucked himself against Haru’s side so he could continue cooing at Atsuko while Haru pushed them gently on the swing.

“I am definitely making Ryuu put one of these up in our yard,” he said after Nagisa’s third jaw cracking yawn. “And I am going to nap in it all the time.”

Nagisa went still, breath caught in his throat.

“Your yard? Like. You have your own place here? Not just some apartment you’re renting?” His voice was soft and -dare Haru think it? - hopeful. “Like you’re staying?”

Haru rubbed his thumb along Atsuko’s chubby cheek.

“Yeah,” he said. “We’re staying.”

Nagisa’s eyes were bright, little sparkles of light in them like stars, when Haru looked down at him. He startled when Nagisa pinched him a moment later, that bright gleam still in his eyes.

“Just making sure this is really real and not a dream,” Nagisa explained.

It said a lot that Haru didn’t even feel the urge to remind Nagisa that you were supposed to pinch yourself in that scenario not the people around you.

“Really real,” Haru replied. After a moment he added what he had been contemplating for the last couple weeks. “I’m thinking of offering our place for a baby shower for Kou. Would you be willing to help out?”

He had been so caught up in the way Nagisa started chattering about ideas and plans and asking about their place and if he could help Haru set up a garden that he hadn’t even noticed Rei, Kou, and Seijuurou approaching. Which was impressive considering he usually always knew where Kou was when they were in the same area. It was some sort of weird radar. Makoto had once called it a self-preservation method that developed in coordination with Kou’s obsession with protein powders and trying to poison their food with them.

“What’s all this talk about gardening and parties?” Kou peered up at them curiously.

“Haru’s staying. Like for good.”

Kou was on the porch in an instant, punching Haru in the shoulder before throwing her arms around his shoulders, being careful of Atsuko still somehow sleeping in his arms.

“You jerk,” she muttered in his ear. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me yet.”

“Surprise?”


	12. Past: Coming Home

It had been a hectic night and the only thing on Ryuu’s mind was getting back to the apartment and collapsing onto their bed. Preferably for the next twelve hours at least. The last week had been nothing but running himself to the bone for this party and trying to keep up with the phone calls from his sister. She was so excited about being pregnant and he was excited for her and already couldn’t wait to be an uncle. He was also just exhausted.

His weary welcome home was answered by one that sounded nearly as tired; Haru had been run nearly as ragged over this party as Ryuu and the worst part about all the stress was that they didn’t really need to do it. Between the two of them they had earned enough in the last few years to be a lot more picky about the jobs they took. Honestly he kind of thought they had taken it almost out of boredom as much as anything. He was feeling restless again. Ready to pack up and take off across the country like he had done after high school.

But it wasn’t just him this time. It wasn’t him trying to convince a couple of his best friends to join him. It wasn’t just him anymore with his big sister telling him to go explore the world for himself. He didn’t have anyone to gather up and venture forth with and he didn’t have anyone pushing him forward.

He had someone waiting for him.

Haru was in bed and he wasted no time in stripping to his boxers and joining him under the blankets.

After a long stretch of quiet breathing where he was almost sure Haru had already fallen asleep he rolled onto his side and poked Ryuu in the shoulder. “I want to go home,” he announced before Ryuu could even ask him what he wanted.

Ryuu wanted to make some dumb comment about how Haru was home. That this was, in fact, their apartment. But he knew what Haru was saying. He knew what Haru meant by home and that restless itching in his soul danced under his skin at the idea of going back at last.

So instead of all the sarcastic comments on the tip of his tongue he swallowed, pulled Haru into his arms, and simply said, “Me too.”

—

Haru squinted at the pile of clothes on the messy bed and then frowned at the bag at his feet. He wasn’t sure how exactly in the year he had lived with Ryuu he had managed to more than triple the amount of clothing he owned. He blamed it on Ryuu and his insistence that Haru have ‘proper outfits’ for their business. Haru honestly thought Ryuu just like dressing Haru up. Something about his blue eyes and nice butt. Haru didn’t always listen when Ryuu started on how much Ryuu liked certain parts of him. Ryuu liked a lot of parts about Haru.

>> how did I get so many shirts and why are so many of them orange and black?

<< Orange and black looks good on you?

Haru frowned at his phone before throwing it on the bed. Ryuu wasn’t going to be any help at all. He was sorely tempted to shove a change of clothes in his bag, his computer, and a handful of things he wanted to take home. Forget sorting and packing and making decisions about what to save and keep and give away.

Actually. Now that he thought about it. That wasn’t all that bad of an idea. He grabbed his phone again.

>> change of plans

>> we each get 3 changes of clothes and a couple favorite clothes. the rest goes to that charity eros runs.

Decision made he started digging through his choices. Even if Ryuu wanted to try to pack and move more Haru would be fine with just buying stuff back home. Everything they left behind here would go to a good cause he knew. Eros would make sure of it.

<< That seems fair. We’ll still have plenty of stuff we’re not gonna wanna leave as it is.

<< And plenty of shit to deal with once we get there. The less we gotta unpack the better.

Haru twisted the ring on his finger and smiled down at the message. He’d been doing that a lot the last few weeks; smiling at nothing. He hadn’t thought he missed home so much. After being here nearly seven years he had figured he’d pretty much put down roots here and called it good enough. But Ryuu had crept in and reminded him that you could do better than ‘good enough’ sometimes and that it didn’t hurt nearly as much as he remembered to try and reach for dreams. At least it didn’t seem nearly as frightening to do it with someone at his side. Someone who managed to anchor him in reality and let him soar to his dreams at the same time.

He finished picking out his clothes and filled the rest of the bag with things he knew he wouldn’t need until after they arrived and then continued through their apartment. Shoving things he knew they wouldn’t mind leaving behind into bags and boxes, tossing other things on the couch so Ryuu could poke through them and decide. He paused at the window and looked over the small collection of potted plants there. It had started with one small leafy thing that Haru could never quite figure out the name of that he still thought Ryuu might have just pulled out of someone’s yard one day. Ryuu had said that Haru needed a companion to talk to when Ryuu wasn’t around and that a traditional pet was out of the question given Haru’s apartment’s strict policies. And that was how Haru found himself standing in his kitchen one day holding a tiny pot filled with loose soil and the saddest looking plant he had ever seen.

Said plant was now sitting on his dresser because the silly thing never stopped growing once Haru got it.

He wondered how hard it would be to take a plant with them. He really couldn’t stand the thought of leaving that plant behind even if he refused to refer to it as Milo like Ryuu insisted. At least out loud. It was still just a plant, not a pet.

He wandered back into the bedroom as he scrolled through his phone for answers, fingers distractedly running along Milo’s leaves.

“Don’t worry,” he muttered, “we’ll find a way to take you with us.”


	13. Planting Seeds for the Future

Ryuu rolled his shoulders and wiped the sweat from his brow before it could get into his eyes. He wasn’t sure why he had let Haru talk him into this today. It was supposed to be a relaxing day off from all the hustle and bustle of their friends. Friends who were invading their house even now that they had specifically mentioned spending the weekend alone. He looked over at Haru on the porch swing with little Atsuko in his arms and a heavily pregnant Kou next to him and couldn’t keep the smile off his face.

Nagisa bounded up to him with a floppy wide brimmed hat on his head and a smile on his face that was brighter than the sun above them.

“We’re here to help with the garden!”

“We?” Ryuu raised his brows when he looked past Nagisa and saw Asahi with a matching giant floppy hat on his head and a slightly petulant looking Rin, also in a giant floppy hat, following them. “How did you convince him to stop making out with Tora long enough to come with?”

Nagisa grinned at him. “Oh Rinrin and I have an understanding.”

“I don’t even want to try to understand your understanding with him. I feel like it would cost me my soul just to get the heavily edited version.”

Nagisa shrugged and demanded to know where they could start.

A few hours - and quite a few breaks where he got to sit on the swing with Atsuko in his arms cooing at him and waving her chubby arms around - later most of the garden had been planted. He was on the swing again, this time without his niece since Saeko had just picked her up to take her home, when Kou settled next to him and stared at him.

“Haru told me once not long after you guys got back that you never tied him down. That you gave him wings.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. And it was stuck in my mind for the longest time but I couldn’t figure out why.” She leaned against his shoulder and waved at her brother when Rin glanced over at them from his spot sprawled under the large tree in the corner of the yard with Nagisa using him as a pillow. Asahi and Haru were inside, he could hear the rise and fall of their voices from the kitchen but couldn’t hear what they were saying. “But I finally did this morning.”

“And?”

“It was because one of the first things you said to me when you two got serious was that you knew Haru was the one you wanted to spend as much of the rest of your life as possible with because he grounded you. He took your head out of the clouds and gave you direction.” Ryuu remembered that conversation, remembered being curled on Haru’s couch talking to Kou long after he had convinced Haru to just go to bed because he was exhausted and that he didn’t mind at all being left alone in Haru’s living room even if they had originally planned on going out that night. It was one of the longest and deepest conversations he and Kou had ever had. “I knew then that you two were good for each other. Good in a way that I was never sure Haru would find.”

Ryuu wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a side hug.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

He hadn’t realized how much Kou’s acceptance in Haru’s life meant to him until he heard her say it out loud like that. Sure he had known for years now that she liked him but to hear it out loud like that made him feel settled. Wanted. Included.

After a few minutes of basking in content silence Kou shifted away and sat up straight.

“Rei, Seijuurou, and I have spent a lot of time talking about it and going over options and in the unlikely chance that something should ever happen to us all we’re going to make sure that you and Haru become Himari’s guardians.” She patted her stomach softly and smiled at him. “That is if you would be willing.”

“I am on board one hundred percent. I’m sure Haru will be too.”

“Seijuurou and Rei both suggested Rin but he already has so much going on and he takes so much responsibility for everything that I wouldn’t want to overwhelm him with it. In a few years if we have another kid we’ll have to reevaluate things but for now-”

Ryuu ruffled her hair and cut her off.

“It’s okay. I get it. Haru and I have settled down a bit. We found each other and now we’re back for good. We had our chances to find ourselves. We can just let Rin do things at his own pace awhile longer.”

Kou sank against him with a content sigh and nodded.

—

Haru wandered around to the back of the house, bare feet sinking into the cool grass, and watched the sky fill with pinks and purples and oranges as the sun set. The soft creak of the chains on the porch swing led him to Ryuu, though he could have guessed that’s where he’d find him. Ryuu had become just as attached to that porch swing as Haru had. He adjusted the pot against his hip and waited by the bottom step patiently.

He had waited a long time for a lot of things. Ryuu made it worthwhile.

He took Ryuu’s hand when it was offered to him and they walked towards the edge of the porch where their flower garden was waiting to be finished. The soil was cool and damp under his fingers as they dug the hole for the last plant to go in the ground together. He tipped it out of the pot and held the leaves out of the way as Ryuu filled in the soil around it.

The last pieces of sunlight flashed off their rings as they stood and brushed soil from their knees.

Haru still refused to refer to that once scraggly plant as Milo anywhere but the safety of his own mind.

“Once upon a time,” Ryuu said as the colors faded from the sky and darkness crept into their yard, “I never imagined that I would find anyone I loved as much as I’ve come to love you.”

“Once upon a time,” Haru replied softly, “I never imagined that telling someone no would lead to all of this.”

Ryuu burst into laughter so bright and sharp that Haru thought it should make the stars peeking into existence in the sky above them jealous. Ryuu pulled Haru into his arms and after a moment he couldn’t keep the feelings in his chest still any longer and he joined Ryuu in laughter.

They had found a home in each other years ago but they were finally setting down roots here with each other and their friends that would surely last the rest of their lives.


End file.
